EXTRACTION
by PotentiallyHarmful
Summary: How kid Sans got his 1HP. Gaster is Dadster. A murderous human attacks Sans. Dadster will not let this injustice go unpunished... Gaster also conducts experiments on a certain fish girl. Bye Gaster! Brotherly bonding. (There's so much stuff...)
1. SCIENCE! And Bad Luck!

FINALLY out of school in Snowdin, eight year old Sans skips out and heads to the river person.

Today Sans gets to see what exactly his dad does at work! He's been promised so many times, only to have something come up and run it. Not this time though! (Even his BABY BROTHER Papyrus gets to stay the lab in a daycare area! Unbelievable.)

"Would you like to take a ride with me young one?" A whispery voice asks from under the dark purple hood.

Sans nods excitedly.

"Hotland please!" The small skeleton asks, hoping into the boat. The tip of the boat has a dog head on it and it begins to gallop away through the water. Sans loved when the boat did that. It was rare, and when it happened he KNEW he'd have a good day!

Sometime along the way, the River person says something that Sans can't quite hear over his own thoughts. His mind is abuzz with all of the potential things he could see or mess with! Maybe Gaster will actually let him... MAKE SCIENCE!

The dog headed boat slows to a stop at the Hotland entrance and it jostles the skeleton child out of his trance.

"Thanks riverperson!" Sans jumps off and runs up the path. For a second he thinks he may have heard them say something, but when he looks back to ask what it was, they were gone. Huh. They are a strange monster! But he likes them a lot anyway.

The path to the lab isn't new to Sans. He's been up here a hundred times skipping school or trying to see inside. Some of the black armored Royal Guards wave to Sans as he rushes by. He waves back and smiles widely at them.

"I get to go INSIDE today!" He shouts. The guards "ooohhh" and "aaahhh" in childish excitement for him and chuckle when he dashes off the rest of the way. They've watched him rush up the path many times for a few years now. So at least this time he's not skipping school to get in…

Finally he comes up to the big doors and adjusts his blue backpack... and knocks loudly on the metal. The doors open with a zip and Sans sees inside clearly at last. The first room looks... SORTA like a lobby he guesses. Ugly blue and yellows. In front of him is the exit leading to the other half of Hotland to the east. To his left is a down escalator and he thinks that's quite silly. Shouldn't it be going up since it's right next to the entrance? Maybe the layout of the place just wouldn't work that way?... He wonders.

Past the escalator is a VERY large monitor that's showing the live video feed of a bunch of lava and metal being built. Sans rushes up to the screen and stares with wide sockets and a huge smile.

"Ahem." Comes a soft voice. Sans looks over to his right and sees a long table that's supposed to be a lobby desk, and a pretty owl monster sitting there.

"You must be Gaster's boy. Sans right?"

"I am!" Sans quickly goes to the desk and can hardly stand still he's so excited. The owl monster chuckles and hands him a pen.

"Sign in here boy." He sighs. And in rather poor penmanship too. But it's good enough.

"Well done. Now, to your right, there's an elevator that will take you to your father. Do be careful and try not to get lost. It can be confusing down there."

"Thank you!"

The small skeleton runs off to the metal doors and he presses the down button a few times quickly.

"OH! And when you leave, you have to sign out as well! Do not forget!"

"I won't!" The doors slide open and Sans jumps inside and waits for what feels like ten minutes for the dang doors to close. They finally do and he feels the gravity shifting as he descends. The wait for THAT sucks too.

FINNNAAALLLYYY the doors open and Sans walks out.

It's at that second that he has NO idea where he's going. Everything is lit up but there are no monsters walking around. There's just one hallway going to his left. It's silent as can be and it sends a shiver up Sans' whole spine. He walks down it and sees some light up plaques with glowing words on them. But he doesn't bother to read them. Finally he takes another left and after a few more yards of hallway, he finds that in front of him is another elevator, and he wonders where it goes to. Four different colored lights are lit up.

He can either go left where there's a vending machine, or to the right where there's another door with a glowing red light.

Luckily though, he hears the familiar gait of his father's footsteps coming towards him. He stands still though, not knowing which direction they're coming from.

"Dad?" Sans calls. The footsteps pause... then walk faster and he sees Gaster walk out from the left side.

"SANS IS THAT YOU? IS IT THAT TIME ALREADY? I'M SORRY, I WOULD HAVE MET YOU IN THE LOBBY IF I HAD REALIZED SOONER." His tall cool dad walks towards him with a content smile and Sans rushes forward and hugs him around the legs. He is quite short in comparison to his dad.

"It's okay! What are you gonna show me first dad?!"

"YOU CERTAINLY DON'T WASTE ANY TIME DO YOU? HAHA, WELL I'LL SHOW YOU THE COOLEST THING FIRST I SUPPOSE. THE THING I'M WORKING ON THAT COULD SAVE OUR ENTIRE RACE. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE A FEW OTHER THINGS I'M WORKING ON TOO.~" Gaster says coyly and with a grin Sans LOVES seeing. He peeks down at his son and swears he's never seen Sans so happy before. He can't help but laugh.

"I'M VERY HAPPY TO SEE YOU'RE EXCITED TO LEARN ABOUT SCIENCE! WELL THEN, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN WHEN YOU WALKED IN... ON THAT BIG TV IN THE LOBBY."

"Oh yeah, it was a bunch of lava! And some people moving big pieces of metal around!" Sans grips his backpack straps tightly and stands on his tip toes.

"YES. THOSE ARE PARTS OF AN ENORMOUS MACHINE. IT'S CALLED 'THE CORE.' AND IT WILL PROVIDE THE ENTIRE UNDERGROUND WITH POWER UNTIL I CAN FINISH MY BLUEPRINTS FOR WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SHOW YOU. THIS WAY SON."

Gaster walks to the right and slides a red keycard through a tiny card slider. The doors click and then open. Sans follows and instinctively grabs his father's hand.

They head down a few halls and finally start seeing some monsters working on various things that Sans can't wrap his head around. Eventually they come up to a room with many tubes and wires hanging down from the ceiling. Gaster goes to a small end table, grabs some blue paper, and comes back to the front of the tubes and wires.

"THIS, SANS," he starts, unrolling the paper. "IS CALLED AN EXTRACTOR. YOU SEE SON, HUMANS HAVE SOMETHING VERY STRONG IN THEM THAT KEEPS THEM ALIVE MUCH LONGER THAN US MONSTERS DO. THEIR SOULS ARE WHAT PERSIST LONGER, AND IF WE CAN GAIN SOME OF WHATEVER THAT IS… THEN MAYBE WE CAN RECREATE IT. SYNTHESIZE IT. AND USE THAT AS A SUBSTITUTE TO HELP OUR GREAT KING BREAK THE BARRIER."

On the paper is this ugly and actually pretty creepy looking…. Pincher skull thing with the tubes attached to either side of its head.

"So you're extracting something from a human soul to study it?"

"PRECISELY. WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT IS YET BUT WE WILL SOON. WE HAVE A FEW SOULS ALREADY, BUT ASGORE'S GOT THEM LOCKED AWAY AND WON'T LET US DO MUCH EXPERIMENTING ON THEM. WHILE THE SOULS ARE PERSISTENT, THERE'S NO GUARANTEE THAT THEY WON'T FADE WHEN NOT IN A CONTROLED ENVIROMENT. AND WE CAN'T WASTE A SINGLE SOUL… BUT WE'VE ACTUALLY MANAGED TO EXTRACT A LITTLE BIT OF THE STUFF WITH SOME PROTOTYPES I'VE MADE. ALTHOUGH IT'S SO LITTLE THAT THERE'S NO WAY IT CAN POSSIBLY DO ANYTHING USEFUL…"

Sans stands there staring up between the blueprints and the hanging tubes. This is some heavy stuff he was not expecting. But if it's important to his dad then it's important to him.

"Can I help?"

Gaster raises an eyebrow a little too quickly for Sans' liking… It appeared to be an incredulous look to him. But it disappears, and is quickly replaced by a smile and a loving pat on the head.

"I WOULDN'T MIND A PAIR OF FRESH EYES LOOKING AT SOME OF THE WORK. THE IMAGINATION OF A CHILD CAN BE QUITE THE ASSET TO US DULL MINDED ADULTS."

The rest of the day goes smoothly and less heavy and creepy than it was down in the lab. Gaster even takes Sans aaallll the way out to see the CORE being worked on. Sans can see how Gaster beams with pride at it. "THIS IS GOING TO CHANGE THE UNDERGROUND, SON." He said with growing confidence. As he explained the science behind it, Sans watched as his father would get more excited and more animated and his smile would grow bigger and wider until he was sure he would hurt his face. Seeing his dad love science so much made him happier than any scientific book could. He hopes that someday he can show his dad how much HE loves science. He wants to learn ALL of the science and impress his dad more than anything else in the entire world.

The short skeleton visits his brother in the daycare area where a few other monster kids are playing and plays with him for a bit. But he doesn't stay for long. He has other friends to play with back in Snowdin and Waterfall!

When Sans finally leaves, he insists that he can get home on his own.

"JUST BE CAREFUL. DON'T WALK ALL THE WAY HOME EITHER. I'LL FEEL BETTER IF YOU GO WITH THE RIVERPERSON STRAIGHT TO SNOWDIN."

"Don't worry about it dad! I've done it a thousand times!" Sans says confidently. He signs himself out and winks at the kind Owl monster, silently saying "See? I remembered!" They understand.

"You just go back to being the coolest dad ever." Sans replied, holding onto his backpack straps tightly. The two wave goodbye and Sans exits the lab.

Several yards away Sans can see a fight breaking out. The two armored guards are in a fighting stance. One of them is hurt. Nobody ever causes real trouble like this in the underground! The most damaged guard falls and turns to dust immediately. The other guard shouts and charges the attacker. Sans' eyes go wide and he looks around for a hiding place. Someone actually KILLED a Royal Guardsman... Why would anyone do that?!

Sans finally gives up on finding a hiding spot since there are none and he considers going back to the lab... The second guard falls to the attacker and Sans finally sees them. They're just a child... They're taller than sans but still clearly a kid. He can see that the kid's soul is colored green. A human soul... There was a HUMAN in the underground… And just like the stories in history class say…

They're murderers.


	2. Warpath

The child spots Sans and begins to walk forward... If Sans runs back to the lab, the kid might follow him and hurt the others inside. His dad. His baby brother and the other kids… The KING if they continue on killing like they just did!

He has to stop them! So the tiny skeleton stands his ground, so terrified he thinks he can hear his own bones rattling.

"Hey!" He shouts shakily. "You'd better... You'd better stop right there! Or I'm gonna... gonna... beat you up buddy!"

But the human only walks faster. Their green soul rises forward out of their body and initiates battle. Sans' eyes widen and he takes a step back. But he can't escape. They really are going to kill everyone in their way aren't they? 

()

Inside the lab, the owl monster hears a ruckus against the metal doors. Yelling?

They get up and head to the giant screen and flick through the channels. There are only a few cameras around Hotland so it doesn't take long for the screen to get too the guards station—

Two piles of dust sit there with pieces of black armor near them. Horrified, they flick to the camera that shows the front door of the lab. A human... there's a human child! And backed up against the doors is Sans ready to fight.  
"Oh nooo!" They get ready to open the doors.-  
But... if they do, the human will surely come in and kill them all. There is no intercom so they can't warn anyone quickly. They'll have to go down the elevator and get help! No time to waste!

They run to the elevator and get inside. Inwardly, they apologize to Sans and hope that he somehow manages to survive.  
After a while they make it down and run in the halls hooting and hollering for help. Other monsters look at each other in fear and scramble to hide.

The owl monster gets to Gaster and shrieks.  
"AT LAST! I'VE DONE IT! I'VE… I'VE ACTUALLY REALLY DONE IT! OH I SIMPLY MUST WRITE THIS DOWN!"  
"Gaster! There's a human!"  
"AH THAT'S GREAT! HAVE THE GUARDS CAPTURED THEM?" He stops working and turns to face them. Behind him on the work bench is a telescope and many samples of red liquid on slates… There is one vial of red liquid in his hand.  
"WHAT WONDERFUL NEWS, I'VE ALSO FOUND SOMETHING AMAZ-"  
"No! No no NO, the guards were killed by them! Sans is out there fighting them!"

Gaster feels his stomach drop... His son. Fighting the human.

The war flashes before him, the feelings of losing important people over and over again right in front of him wash over his vision. Picturing his older son fading-

Without thinking, he corks the vial of red liquid that was already in his hand and stuffs it into his lab coat pocket and runs out.

"GO HIDE." He says sternly.

"B-but sir you can't go alone!"

He makes it to the elevator after teleporting a few times and smashes the call button, cursing the lack of speed.  
Gaster doesn't hesitate to use his magic on the damn thing, forcing it to move faster. The doors ding open and he steps inside, again using his magic to force the elevator up.  
Gaster rushes out and over to the front door and it slides open...

()

Sans is backed up against the door and the human comes closer. He gulps and stands up straight, a few bones circling him.  
"T-this is your last warning! Don't come any closer you... you freak!"  
The human dashes forward and swings their frying pan at him. Sans screams and ducks down, the pan hitting the door and not him. He crawls away and stands up shakily, sending bones at the human. They hit the kid in the head and shoulder, inflicting some damage.

The kid stands there quietly... and then turn around slowly, a terrifying look in their eyes. Sans gulps... but... he did it. He hit them! He can do it again!  
But if those huge strong Royal Guardsmen couldn't win, how is tiny weak Sans supposed to win?

It doesn't matter… He can't afford to lose right now! His dad, baby brother and others are in there working hard to save their kind… Sans isn't sure if he'll live or die… And becoming dust and disappearing forever scares him. Leaving his brother and his dad scares him… But if he can save them then it'll be worth it.

The human glares at Sans hard and turns to face him. They notice that the small skeleton's eye is beginning to glow a blue color. He might be small and have few hit points, but they think they should wrap this up right about now.

Sans raises his arm quickly and sends more bones at the human. They lift their frying pan and block most of them, but a couple hit their legs and hip. With great speed they rush Sans and the pan finds it's mark right on top of his head. A chunk of his HP is taken away and he screams in pain. The magic bones become larger and rocket down at the kid. They gasp and have to run and jump and dodge to get out of the way.

This stupid monster is just a kid! How is he EVEN taking hp off of them? That does it. They have to get rid of the skeleton kid.

Sans rolls around and jumps and crawls away from damage for the most part. This irritates the kid more and more and they start to become even fiercer than they were before. Sans has NO idea how he's lasted this long, or even that he's hurt the human in the first place!

Can he really do this? Can he actually get a human soul for his dad to work with? All alone?...

Yes. He can! He just has to try harder! Sans stands up and grits his teeth. His back is facing the lab doors again.

"G-Give up already human!... You… You've killed more than just the guards haven't you?! You're covered in dust!... I'm not… I'm not gonna let you get away with that!" Sans thinks it's a little strange to feel so utterly confident in front of a human who could easily obliterate him if they REALLY wanted to. But he knows that what he's doing could lead to saving the entire Underground!

"You're in MY home now kid, AND I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU HURT MY FAMILY!" His eye glows proudly and he thrusts his hand out, huge spiked bones zooming to pierce and slice the humans flesh. The shouts of pain they make hurt Sans a little, but he can't feel too much pity for them after they killed so many already. They try to dodge more but Sans continues to bombard the human with bones. They only have a pinch of HP left! He can really do this! HE CAN-

Suddenly all of the humans HP comes back once they eat something that Sans didn't quite get to see. They clearly get faster too. What just happened? The child screams and rushes Sans with great speed. Sans can hardly blink before being hit in the side of the head as hard as the human could manage. He spins many times from the force and falls on the ground on his side, unable to see straight. Sans can feel his HP going down… steadily, number by number. He's never felt that before. What's happening? It's like poison or something.

He's only got 15 HP left… He's going to die here. He couldn't get the humans soul for his dad. For his brother. For his people… No! He failed so easily?!...

10 HP

Tears begin to swell up in his sockets and he stares at the hard ground and over to the dust of the royal guardsmen just yards away from him. That's what he's going to be in a second. It's over.

7 HP

Behind him he hears the sliding doors to the lab open up. The human hears it too. And once they see who's standing there, they decide that the other monster is a much bigger problem for them, and they flee as fast as they can.

He's turned over and there is his dad with the most terrified look on his face.

5 HP

"I… I tried dad." The tears slide down his skull, but he still smiles up at Gaster.

"Sans—no no no I can… I can fix this!" Sans watches him reach for something in his pocket and take it Out. Gaster mumbles pleadingly as he uncorks the vial of red liquid.

"Please let this work, oh please let this work. Sans you MUST drink this, PLEASE."

2 HP

Gaster puts the vial to Sans' mouth and without hesitation…

With all the trust in the world in his father, he drinks the liquid.

1HP

Sans has never seen his dad so scared in his entire life. It almost scares HIM… but he retains his 1 HP. He's been saved.

Gaster finally releases his breath and it's clear he's breathing hard and unsteadily to keep the tears and sobs away. He hugs Sans tightly with both arms and stands up with his son.

"Sans my boy, oh my son you're going to be okay!" He laughs, terror still in his voice. Gaster rushes inside and closes the doors behind him and locks them with a keycard and a code.

Sans is so tired… Even keeping his eyes open is a chore. In the area that would be his stomach, a burning feeling begins to spread.

That stuff he drank… it's making him feel strange.

"Dad?... I don't… feel good." He looks up at his father with tired eyes and Gaster reflexively holds him closer to his chest.

"I KNOW SANS… YOU MAY NOT FEEL GOOD FOR A WHILE. BUT…." The grimace on his face is so obvious someone with no eyes could see it.

"SANS MY BOY, DO YOU TRUST ME? DO YOU BELIEVE ME WHEN I SWEAR TO YOU THAT YOU'LL BE JUST FINE IN A FEW DAYS?"

Sans could NEVER doubt his dad. He smiles weakly up at him and nods.

"I believe you."

"I'M GLAD. I PROMISE. CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO DIE I PROMISE."

"H-heh… don't say that."

The two smile at each other and Gaster gets down to the lab. All the monsters that were hiding there begin to pop their heads out, hearing the scientist's familiar footsteps. They all gasp and rush over to him and Sans and begin asking questions. But Gaster tells them all to hush. Sans is asleep.

Once Gaster gets to the "daycare" like room baby Papyrus is in and gets Sans settled in a bed, he exits and tells everyone in the lab to alert their families of the human. Lock their doors. Don't answer it for anyone.

He and the owl monster get all the way back up to the lobby and rewind the footage all the way to the beginning of the appearance of the human.

The owl watches between Gaster and the TV. They see now that the human came and one shot killed the guards while they were trying to reason with the child. The kid straight up didn't even give them a chance to defend themselves… And then Sans comes out. The owl watches Gaster's face become a scowl, only being able to imagine the fear his child felt when he saw two monsters be murdered and that he was possibly next.

They watch the fight and Gaster cannot stop his pride from swelling. His boy did so well… He fought so hard even though he was terrified…

"You're in MY home now kid, AND I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU HURT MY FAMILY!" The TV crackles out Sans' voice. Gaster puts one hand to his face and the owl monster quietly wonders if he's crying…

The PUNT of the cast iron pan hitting Sans' skull makes the two of them wince, but they continue to watch. Gaster quickly shuts the TV off though. They look up at him a bit confused.

There's a long moment of silence, and Gaster has not yet taken his hand away from his face. He says smoothly and with the calmest tone he can manage.

"DO WE HAVE… ANOTHER TANK?" The owl monster gets a shiver down their spine…

"Yes sir we do…"

"WOULD YOU BE SO KIND AS TO GET IT OUT FOR ME? WE'RE GOING TO NEED IT."

Gaster peeks through his fingers down at them and just a pinprick of white shows through his deep black sockets. A sick grin is beginning to form on his face.

They are not EVEN about to say no. They just nod and rush off to the top floor of the lobby and Gaster stands there silently.

After several seconds, he turns the TV back on and watches the last few seconds. After the human hit his son, nearly to death, they stood in front of him and raised their frying pan over their head. Gaster pauses.

He's seen this pose before. It's the stance of someone who is going to beat their victim to death. Someone who is going to beat the target even after they've already passed on…

The familiar rage is beginning to build up in his stomach and in his chest. He can feel his hands shake with fury.

"YOUR BROTHER WILL BE PROUD OF YOU SOMEDAY SANS. I WILL _**NOT**_ LET THAT CREATURE GET AWAY WITH THIS."


	3. plus 1 Green soul

It's the next day when Gaster comes to see Sans and Papyrus. His oldest is still in bed. He hasn't moved since he was set down. But he does look like he's in pain unfortunately...

Gaster had asked Sans if he trusted him. With his life. And his boy said "yes" without a moment's pause. It makes him sad...

Just before the attack happened, Gaster figured out a small chunk of the puzzle that had to do with the red liquid. But... he didn't have time to test it further. It had more of whatever keeps humans resilient. So he wondered if putting that into a monster would give them more hp, or maybe a bigger will to live or SOMETHING! And like a terrible terrible person, he used the first test subject he could find.

And it was his own son.

But it worked. That red stuff saved his boy at the last second. But now what will life be like for his child? With only one hp what is he able to do and not do now?

Gaster sits on the side of Sans' bed and feels his skull. Has he cursed his son to live a fragile life because of his own selfish desire to keep him alive? The thoughts take over and he covers his face with a sigh... Has he doomed his son?

A small hand reaches up and touches his. He looks down and sees Sans opening one tired eye at him.

"YOU'RE AWAKE... THANK GOODNESS. HOW ARE YOU FEELING, MY SON?" Gaster manages a small worried smile.

Sans' voice is raspy but he tries his best.

"I don't feel good..."

The scientist in Gaster insists on asking lots of questions, but he's really trying to be sensitive to Sans.

"DO YOU THINK YOU COULD TELL ME WHAT YOU'RE FEELING?" Sans nods.

"M-hm. When I drank that stuff... my stomach started to hurt and I felt really dizzy... Then I got really tired and... I thought..." Sans pauses and tries to articulate his words.

"I thought I was going to die. I had really bad dreams and they felt so real... I dreamt that my bones were slowly turning into ash. I was flaking and I could feel parts of my body falling away… The insides of my bones were on fire..."

Gaster listens in quiet horror… What the hell ARE humans that the stuff that keeps them going hurts monsters this way? Is it only his son that is affected this way? He should get another test subject… Someone NOT his son…

"It still hurts a lot… but I trust you. You said I'd be okay." Sans smiles sweetly at Gaster and closes his eyes.

Gaster feels his heart sinking… His child trusts him so whole heartedly. When he himself knows that he's a terrible monster that would probably do anything for science… Even use his own children…

"YOU WILL BE OKAY. I WILL MAKE SURE OF IT."

"Is everyone okay? Papyrus?" Sans glances around and spots his brothers crib.

"EVERYONE'S ALRIGHT THANKS TO YOU. YOU FOUGHT SO HARD. TELL ME SON, WHY-… WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO FIGHT? KNOWING THAT YOU COULD HAVE DIED?"

Sans just lets out a small laugh and gives Gaster a "duh" look.

"My family and my friends were in here. What kind of big brother would I be if I let that freak kill my baby brother? If I let them kill the Royal Scientist and the others who work with him? How could I NOT fight after I saw them kill monsters…" Things flow back to Sans and he remembers watching the guards be turned to dust. His smile fades and he stares at the ceiling in silence for a second. Gaster allows him to gather himself.

"I've known those guys since forever dad… I remember sometimes they'd pretend to capture me because I was skipping school to try and sneak into the lab… Why dad? Why would the human come down here just to kill us?..."

Blue tears begin to bubble up and Sans quickly puts his arm over his eyes. But the radius and ulna don't hide much…

"Why are humans so mean? What do they get out of killing us?"

Gaster rubs his child's cheek as he cries softly into his arm…

"THEY ARE CRUEL CREATURES MY SON…. I HAVE SEEN IT A HUNDRED TIMES. THEY FEAR THINGS THAT THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND. IF IT DOESN'T CONFORM TO THEIR WAYS THEN IT SHOULD BE ERADICATED. NO ONE KNOWS WHY THEY ARE SO FILLED WITH HATE."

"Why are we even TRYING to get back up to the surface in the first place? They're just going to turn us all into dust…"

Gaster knows that he shouldn't be talking about this sort of stuff to his eight year old, but again, he feels the clawing of wanting to know the answers to questions better left unasked. Curse his curious nature.

"WELL SANS… IF THAT HUMAN HAD MADE IT PAST YOU WITHOUT KILLING YOU AND GOTTEN INSIDE THE LAB… SAY THEY KILLED ME. SAY THEY KILLED PAPYRUS. WHAT WOULD YOU DO?"

Sans is quiet. And when he looks up, Gaster can see the too familiar face that HE makes when he's angry.

"I'd go find them and kill them."

After a bit more conversation about what the red liquid feels like, Gaster cares for Papyrus and leaves. He informs the daycare watcher to keep a close eye on them.

Sans gave Gaster his answer. "I'd go find them and kill them." And he knows that's the appropriate response. It's only natural to want revenge.

And boy does Gaster want revenge.

He thinks about telling the King about his plan… but he knows the young fool would just tell him not to. And so he leaves the lab, taking easy and calm strides. He walks down and meets the Riverperson.

"HELLO THERE. WOULD YOU MIND GIVING ME INFORMATION ON WHERE THE… /THING/ HAS GONE?"

"The human child fled to Waterfall. La la la~" The whispy voice comes. "Care for a ride?"

"I'D RATHER ENJOY THAT." Gaster boards, and the Riverperson takes off. As usual they're quiet aside from the occasional quip along the way.

In Gaster's hands is a six inch tall cylindrical tank. There's no hiding what he's doing.

"What has become of the child?" The Riverperson actually asks. It almost shocks Gaster that they've broken their typical routine.

"WHAT?"

"Sans."

It takes a long moment for Gaster to comprehend that the neutral party would ask about HIS SON… He wonders if the Riverperson is REALLY neutral.

"He's alive… by the skin of his teeth… He almost didn't make it. You know he fought the human? My boy is really growing up…"

Gaster can't quite tell, but he thinks he sees the Riverperson's shoulders relax a bit. Are they actually relieved? He feels that he truly is doing the right thing now if even the Riverperson asked about the health of ANYONE.

The boat finally stops and Gaster gets off. He looks back at the dark hood trying to see a face… But he just smiles and nods, walking off. He hears them boat away.

Waterfall is a beautiful place. There's a place where water glows a bright blue, the lamps light the way and make the grass look shiny and smooth, and in certain spots, you can look up and see the glowing rocks on the ceiling that mimic stars. It's probably the most tranquil place in the entire underground. Quiet, peaceful, relaxed.

The rest of Waterfall is just a colder purple area. There are many residents that live all around Waterfall. And they all like to talk. The flowers LOVE listening to conversations… and they often repeat them. So he walks around and listens to all the voices the flowers whisper out. A lot of them are silent.

"Be quiet, they're coming!" One flower whispers. "They're coming back, no no no no no we have to go!" Says another. They continue until Gaster finds a row of flowers that stop talking about the kid.

Gaster searches almost all of Waterfall in the glowing waterfall section until FINALLY he spots the little demon. They're sitting on the edge with their bare feet in the illuminating water.

With one swift movement, Gaster teleports over to the human and stands behind them.

"TAKING A BREAK FROM BEING A MURDERER I SEE?" He says. The human gasps and stands up quickly in the shallow water. It really only goes up to their shins.

"I HOPE YOU'VE HAD YOUR SICK FUN. BECAUSE IT'S OVER NOW." The kid backs up in the water and stares up at the tall intimidating monster… But it doesn't matter. They initiate battle and watch Gaster chuckle and grin.

"YOU FOOLISH HUMAN. IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT IT HAD TO BE LIKE THIS. BUT AFTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO MY PEOPLE AND TO MY FAMILY, I CANNOT LET YOU LIVE."

The human stares at him and tries to understand what he's saying… his family huh?... Oh. That Skeleton kid who gave him a hard time yesterday. So this guy was their dad? They didn't know monsters even worked that way.

"YOU SEE CHILD, I AM A MERCIFUL MONSTER. WHILE YOU DON'T DESERVE IT, I'LL MAKE YOUR DEATH QUICK IF YOU'LL ONLY STAND STILL. IF YOU TRY TO FIGHT BACK…"

He lifts his arms slowly up from his sides and his left eye glows purple. His hands glow and… a terrifying skull begins to appear over his shoulder. The kid's eyes slowly widen as the increasingly scary monster readies for battle. They've got to stop him quick before he does something insane and one shot kills them!

The human runs to the side and out of the water and grabs their pan and attacks. To Gaster, the humans attack is slow. They're nothing like the older taller humans he's 'dealt' with before. But just because they're a child doesn't mean he'll show them mercy. A human is a human in the end. He did already ask them to stay still after all.

"AS USUAL, YOU HUMANS DON'T LISTEN." The blaster charges up and begins to fire short beams at the kid. They roll and duck and jump out of harms way for a while, but don't escape the assault unscathed. Over half of their hp disappears and are forced to eat something in place of attacking. Gaster attacks again, waving his left hand around. The beams that the blaster shoots seem to go in the direction his hand is moving. But even seeing that, the kid gets damaged again.

They heal over and over and over again after every attack until they run out of healing items. Finally they see that fighting this monster is impossible. So they attempt to spare him.

*Gaster will not forgive you.

They try and try to convince him that they're just a mear child and that they deserve mercy.

*Gaster looks through you.

Finally, he raises his right arm and the blaster moves in sync with his hand. He reaches forward quickly and the blaster darts over Gaster's head to the human and hovers for a second. He spreads his fingers and it opens its sharp maw.  
And when Gaster clamps his fist shut, the jaws close over the human. But Gaster is careful to not take any of their hp. He brings the blaster back to him and had it open its jaw just a bit. It's teeth are like bars to a human in jail.

The human scoots up to the teeth and hold them.  
"NOW CHILD. I WILL ASK AGAIN. HOLD STILL AND THIS WILL GO QUICKLY FOR YOU." They reach out and swing at Gaster one last time futilely.  
"YOU'VE CHOSEN YOUR OWN FATE. AT LEAST NOW YOU'LL FEEL THE PAIN YOU INFLICTED ON THE UNDERGROUND... I THINK THE BEST PART ABOUT THIS IS... YOUR SOUL WON'T EVEN GET TO LEAVE THIS PLACE.~" He lets out a small chortle and brings out the cylinder. The human looks at it confused... Wait... Is he going to put their soul in that?  
"LET'S SEE. YOU'VE KILLED AT LEAST TWO MONSTERS. I'VE SEEN DUST PILES ALL AROUND WATERFALL. SO WHY DON'T WE GIVE YOU ONE SECOND FOR EVERY MONSTER? LV 14 EH? 72 SECONDS THEN" He smiles and charges the blaster.

The child finally decides to check this monsters stats... They couldn't get a single hit on him and didn't want to waste any time checking him. Honestly, he can't be THAT stro-

HP: 666,666  
AT/DF: 66,666

They were never going to win in the first place...

The inside of the blaster gets hotter and hotter as it charges up. The kid looks at Gaster with pleading eyes... but the monster has seen the look before. The SECOND you show these terrible things mercy, they kill you when you're not looking. All humans do it. Even small children. So he just watches the blaster slowly heat up and begin to sear and burn the child's skin. They begin to beg and plead and cry as they flop around in agony.

"I WONDER HOW MANY MONSTERS BEGGED YOU FOR THEIR LIVES JUST LIKE THIS. KARMA ALWAYS CATCHES UP. HOW UNFORTUNATE FOR YOU THAT/I/ WAS YOUR KARMA." He unscrews the top of the tank and waits.

After 72 seconds the ear piercing screams of the human die in a pathetic cracked sob. All that's left now is the green glow of the child's heart.

Gaster reaches forward and the blaster opens its mouth. The soul floats into the tank and Gaster twists the top back on.

He stands there for a long time looking at the soul… He really was a terrible person wasn't he? There's no way someone DIDN'T hear all the screaming. Especially with these echo flowers everywhere…

The blaster disappears and Gaster walks back out of Waterfall, saying something kind to every flower that heard the screaming until they all whisper nice things. Not one flower is left to scream out the last sounds of the child.

Finally on the boat with the Riverperson, he sets the soul down on the floor of the boat and sighs, putting his head in his hands.

"Do you feel better?" They ask quietly.

"NO…"

The trip is quiet and Gaster gets off at Hotland. He wonders how he should go about doing this… Perhaps Sans would like to see the soul. Or would that upset him?... Hm…

Curse you again, Curiosity.

Gaster makes it to the daycare room in the lower lab and Sans is actually sitting up. Although he thinks it's only because he might have had to throw up an overflow of magic. Sans looks up at his dad and smiles.

"Hey dad."

"HELLO SON. ARE YOU FEELING BETTER AT ALL?"

"Heh. Nope not one bit. Now I have a headache. But I've got a thick skull! I'll be fine."

"WAS… WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE A JOKE?" Gaster finally lets out a genuinely pleased chuckle and walks over and sits on the bed.

"GOOD TRY /BONEHEAD/."

"Aw that's a good one! I'll have to use it." The two smile at each other. Sans sees Gaster is hiding something under his black jacket. He only notices now that his dad isn't wearing a labcoat. It's almost strange to see him in almost solid black minus his turtle neck.

"What's that dad?" Sans points.

"WELL SON… AAA…. I WAS GOING HOME YOU SEE TO GET YOU SOME THINGS FROM YOUR ROOM. SO YOU WOULDN'T GET BORED! AND AS I WAS WALKING, I SPOTTED THE HUMAN."

Sans' smile falls immediately and his eyes go huge.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

Gaster quickly puts up his one freehand and waves it. "NOT AT ALL SON I'M PERFECTLY FINE. NOT A SINGLE HP LOST." The boy relaxes a little… Then Gaster finally brings out the tank into the open. The green glow illuminates Sans' face. He takes the tank and turns it, moves it around to see how the soul reacts. It always stays upright.

"It's so… pretty. When it's not attached to them. How did you get it?" Should he lie?

"AH THAT'S SIMPLE!..." Should he?...

"WELL…" No…

"WE BATTLED YOU SEE."

Gaster waits for what could be the sound of his son's faith in him shattering. But Sans just stares. He's not quite sure what to think. They battled… he didn't lose any hp… and the human's soul is here. So…

"You killed them?"

"I DID. ARE YOU UPSET WITH ME?" Gaster speaks quietly and watches his sons expressions. They seem mixed, but he understands.

"I thought about what you asked me before. What I would do if that human killed you and Papyrus. I told you that I'd kill them."

"YES."

"I wonder… if I actually would have been able to do it. I fought really hard before… But I'm not sure what I would do if I really got them down low enough that I could…"

"I'M SORRY SANS. IT'S MY FAULT. I SHOULDN'T HAVE ASKED YOU SOMETHING SO GROWN UP."

Sans just stares at the soul, deep in thought for several seconds.

"It's okay dad. I know you were upset. But if this is how the real world works… If this is how humans work… then I want to grow up really fast so I can help. So I can protect you and Papyrus. And everyone!" The boy grimaces and grips the tank a bit harder than he thought he was going to.

"I'm glad they're dead. So they can't hurt us anymore."

()

Almost immediately after that conversation, Sans fell asleep VERY hard and it surprised Gaster. Sans is quite energetic and he stays up late and gets up early. "Sleep is for the weak!" He'd shout at four in the morning. But he guesses it's only natural for him to need rest at this time.

Gaster takes his time walking to the King's Castle. Asgore is in the throne room, still mourning the loss of his son. Gaster hates this moping mess of a King… Meakly hoping another human never comes. The fool!

Asgore looks up.

"Oh, Doctor. Gaster. Hello. Would you like some tea?" He sits up a bit straighter in his throne and smiles half heartedly.

"THAT'S KIND OF YOU TO OFFER YOUR MAJESTY, BUT MY WORK IS NEVER DONE. I DO HOWEVER HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU. ALTHOUGH I'M NOT SURE YOU'RE QUITE IN THE MOOD."

"No no, it's fine, please show me what you've got! Have you… figured anything out?"

"A LITTLE. BUT MUCH RESEARCH STILL HAS TO BE DONE. I CAME ACROSS THIS. IN WATERFALL."

He pulls out the tank and Asgore's face drops a little…

"A soul..."

"YES YOUR HIGHNESS, A HUMAN SOUL. THEY FELL DOWN HERE AND MURDERED MANY MONSTERS IN THE SNOWDIN FOREST, WATERFALL AND HOTLAND."

"What?"

It's taking all of Gaster's energy not to say "What do you mean WHAT, of course that's what the HUMAN DID. You know, the HUMAN MURDERERS THAT PUT US IN THIS MISERABLE MOUNTAIN."

"THE ROYAL GUARD FOUGHT BRAVELY, BUT A PORTION OF THEIR RANKS WERE ALSO DUSTED."

Gaster walks up to him, bows, and then hands him the tank. Asgore takes it in his large paws and stares. He sighs and slumps in his seat.

"Why… Chara was so sweet. Why are the others—"

"IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME NOW SIR, I HAVE TO GET BACK TO WORK."

The black clad scientist turns around and begins to walk away, but Asgore grabs his arm a little too tightly. Gaster looks back with growing irritation and fury. Asgore stands up, tall and proud with the eyes of a father scolding his child. Gaster feels a twinge of a terrible thought entering his mind, but pushes it away.

"How did you obtain—"

"THEY ALMOST MURDERED MY SON. AND UNLIKE /SOME/ SOME OF US," Gaster hisses, ripping his arm away from the King's grip and rubbing the spot. "I WAS NOT GOING TO ALLOW THEM TO GET AWAY WITH IT." His eye glows purple and he stares hard up at his King.

The air is tense and Asgore CAN NOT believe that Gaster just said that to him… Has he been… not dealing with this for so long that even his Royal Scientist is fed up with him?

"So you killed them."

"IN COLD BLOOD. AND I WILL DO IT AGAIN IF THE NEED ARISES. SOMEONE HAS TO GET US OUT OF THIS HELLISH WASTELAND, AND IF YOU WON'T DO IT, THEN I WILL. GOOD DAY YOUR /HIGHNESS/."

Gaster spits out, enunciating every syllable like a pin prick and walks away leaving Asgore in utter shock.

Perhaps the Doctor is right… He's allowing himself to waste away on his throne. Not helping his people when they need him. But what can he do?

Wait, he supposes, for another human to drop into the underground…

Asgore walks to the barrier and brings up the other larger tanks holding the other five souls and deposits the green soul into a larger tank of its own. Just two more and they can see the sun again.

Only two more.

And they would be free.


	4. A good talk

Three years pass quietly.

Sans is eleven now and Papyrus boasts a hearty three and a half.

Life has been going smoothly for the small family. The money from Gaster working at the lab is pretty good, and Sans is doing well in school. Mostly. Papyrus is still in the Hotland Daycare at the lab and Sans will often stay the night at the lab when Gaster can't come home.

Sans wonders if they should just live in Hotland instead of Snowdin since they're there so often…

"Gaster hasn't made much progress on the red liquid this whole time. With their limited technology, things only falling from the surface into the dump in waterfall, they can't get far. The only thing that HAS made any progress is the core and the building of the extractor in the lab. But even that is only half way completed…

Gaster sits at his desk with his head in his hands and just sighs… If only he had the right tools, the right equipment to do his experiments and such then they'd be so much closer to breaking the barrier faster… He takes off his lab coat and adjusts his turtle neck, rubbing his temples with both hands.

Sans peeks out of the daycare room with Papyrus and the two look at each other…

"WHY HE SAD?" Papyrus asks worriedly, pulling on Sans' hoody that's WAY too big on him. Sans just smiles softly down at his brother.

"Well Pap, dad's working really hard and things are goin' slow. He wants results and he ain't getting' them. Do you understand?"

Papyrus stands there and stares at their father several feet away from them. He nods and folds his arms.

"BREAK!"

"Break?" Sans looks at his bro incredulously… and then it hits him.

"OH! You mean let's go make him take a break. Yeah good idea. You're so cool little bro."

Sans picks Papyrus up and swings him around once then hugs him tightly. Papyrus laughs and baps at Sans' face. The two rush out of the room of other monster children and go up to Gaster with their hands on their hips.

"Dad!" They say together. Gaster jumps a little, startled and looks down at the two of them and their giant smiles. He can't help but be infected with their cuteness.

"YES BOYS, WHAT IS IT?"

"Papyrus and I think you should take a break from working! Getting frustrated over everything isn't going to make it go faster for anyone." Sans says decisively.

"BREAK!" Pap yells.

Gaster watches his boys closely, wondering if they'll go away or something. Perhaps he should shoo them…

What a terrible thought. The only reason he's working this hard is for them…

Is he not paying enough attention to them?

This is a dreadful thought that Gaster will not let go.

"SANS… YOU DON'T THINK I'M… IGNORING YOU TWO, DO YOU?" Sans' eyes go a little wide and then he smiles brightly!

"No way! I don't think that at all! I know how hard it is to work on something for a long time and not get it right! Like homework! But harder. I know that you're doing this for the entire underground dad." He nods.

"But I think right now you should think about yourself for a little bit!"

"BREAK!" Papyrus shouts again.

"I think we got it pap." Sans says with a chuckle.

Gaster's chest fills with love. His sons are so kind… He loves them so much he thinks he may burst. If a break is what his children want from him, then he can't very well say no.

"ALRIGHT. I'LL TAKE A BREAK. JUST FOR YOU TWO." Gaster stands up, but not before swooping the two in his arms and giving them a spin. They all laugh and hug one another, Gaster giving them skeleton kisses on the tops of their heads with a clack.

Ten minutes of planning by Sans and Papyrus later, the two (mostly Sans) come up with a little talent show for their father. Papyrus sets down a crate and grabs Gaster's hand, making him sit.

"MY MY WHAT HAVE YOU TWO PLANNED I WONDER?" He says with delight.

"WE'RE GONNA DANCE!" Papyrus yells. He is SO happy that he almost trips when he runs over to Sans.

"Hehe. Don't give it away Pap! Alright here we go!" Sans leans down and presses a button on an incredibly old stereo and some music plays. Gaster has never heard this music before and can only guess it came from the surface world's musicians. He has to admit that he doesn't hate the music.

"Sans dances his heart out, doing his best to have some form. Papyrus just jumps up and down and yells and laughs. Obviously it's terrible, but to Gaster this is a one of a kind routine. God he wishes he had a video camera to record this. His children are so precious… They're the most important thing in the entire world to him.

He does note in the back of his scientist brain that Sans has regained a lot of energy since the incident three years ago. While he sleeps more now than he used to, (which Gaster has determined to be the right amount of sleep for Sans anyway so it all worked out weirdly enough) he's returned to the busy smart boy he always was. He supposes it's mostly because of Papyrus growing up. And when Gaster isn't there to take care of Pap, Sans does it. And to keep up with the hyper little skell, Sans wanted to bring out the best of himself to give to his brother.

Gaster wonders what life would be like without Sans and Papyrus… It would be quiet. And lonely. No rough housing boys, no pitter patter of playing feet, no dancing with happy faces… He is lucky to have them both.

The boys dance their hearts out and have Gaster pick them up and swing them around. Sans doesn't care if he's a whole eleven years old, he's still small enough to be babied and he is absolutely going to milk it until he's too big!

All of that playing gets the boys tired and Papyrus actually falls asleep in Gaster's arms. Sans falls asleep standing up which is… rather impressive actually. But Gaster gets the two to bed and covers them both up. He's quietly thankful that Sans and Papyrus are the only children left in the labs daycare. It makes it easier for the two to be put to bed and sleep peacefully.

He leaves the two to sleep and goes back to his desk, but doesn't sit. For some reason, the memory of the human child with their green soul appears in his mind… What he did…

What the child did wasn't right either. But what HE did…

Was it wrong? They were killing monsters, so he HAD to kill them! But… Maybe the way he went about it was too harsh? Why is he even thinking back on this? It's been years now… who cares? It was one step closer to freedom!

He did what was best for the underground in the end didn't he?...

Not only that, but he was incredibly disrespectful to his King. He should really visit him and have a proper chat with him.

And so Gaster leaves Sans and Papyrus to sleep and travels through the other half of Hotland, through the hotel and through the core, eventually getting to Asgore's castle. The royal guardsmen there are kind and they greet Gaster as he walks past, greeting them in return.

He makes it to the throne room and spots Asgore watering the garden that has grown. Golden flowers nearly take over the entire room.

Asgore hears the rustling of flowers and turns to see the Royal Scientist.

"Ah, Dr. Gaster! Hello there, I haven't seen you in some time!" The giant king smiles at Gaster and puts away his watering can.

"INDEED, IT'S BEEN SOME TIME…"

"Would you like some tea?"

"YOU ARE TOO KIND YOUR MAJESTY… I… I WOULD LIKE SOME TEA. I WAS HOPING WE COULD… TALK."

Asgore can see that Gaster is feeling reluctant, but also that he really does want to talk. So he nods and rushes off to make the tea.

"A-AH, YOUR HIGHNESS, I CAN MAKE THE TEA, YOU NEEDN'T DO TH—"

"Nonsense! You're a guest and I shall treat you like one! Come come, this way! There is a table and chairs in here."

Gaster follows Asgore into a rather nice dining area. He never noticed this room was even here. It was hidden by the vines. It's a simple room with simple things. All of the chairs are large and Gaster thinks he may shrink into them… Oh well. He sits in one of the chairs and it turns out he fits just fine.

Asgore finishes brewing the tea and pours two cups and then sits down.

"It may be hot." The King warns.

"So, what have you come to talk about, Dr? May I ask how your son is doing?"

"Gaster knows he must word things carefully…

"HE'S DOING FAR BETTER THAN HE WAS BEFORE. THANK YOU FOR ASKING. AND UHM… HOW ARE YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS?" Gaster wraps his hands around the cup and relaxes into its warmth.

Asgore smiles softly and looks into his own cup of tea.

"I think I am a bit better as well. Things have been very difficult."

Be compassionate Gaster, come on…

"I CAN ONLY IMAGINE… WOULD YOU PERHAPS LIKE TO TELL ME ABOUT IT? MY SON SANS HAS TOLD ME MANY TIMES THAT IT'S BEST TO TALK ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS."

"Your son is very smart. I suppose if you don't mind… I don't want to burden you with my problems though. A king must be strong…"

Asgore sips his tea and Gaster watches intently… Hmmm… think logically. What would Sans say at a time like this?... Gosh he is NOT good at this sort of thing…

"HOLDING IN YOUR EMOTIONS MIGHT BREAK YOU. AND WHAT GOOD IS A BROKEN KING?" Hmmm. Was that the correct way of phrasing it? Damn, probably not. Sans probably wouldn't say that.

"ER, I MEAN…-" Asgore laughs and nods to himself.

"I understand what you meant. Don't worry."

"S-SORRY… I'M… NOT GREAT AT THIS… STUFF." Gaster looks at his cup inwardly cursing himself. He should get a book on this sort of stuff or something.

Asgore goes on to explain how alone he feels without Toriel. She left everything to him. She left her people, her kingdom, her duties and responsibilities because she couldn't handle it and Asgore blames himself. And on top of that, those three years ago, he clearly angered Gaster.

"I didn't mean to make you so upset back then. I was…"

"MY GOODNESS YOUR HIGHNESS… YOU SOUND A LITTLE TOO MUCH LIKE ME. HOLDING ONTO SOMETHING FOR SO LONG… I HOLD GRUDGES, I KNOW THIS. BUT YOU HOLD ONTO THE PAST. SOMETHING LIKE MAKING ME MAD SHOULD HAVE BEEN BANISHED FROM YOUR MEMORY THE DAY AFTER IT HAPPENED."

"I could never do that. I consider you my friend, Dr. Gaster. Upsetting my friends upsets me."

Gaster stares at Asgore wide eyed. FRIENDS? This king is… interesting. He was interesting before but he never really had THAT much interaction with him that he considered the man his friend…

Asgore is soft and friendly… He actually still recalls when the kingdom called him "fluffy buns" for a while because Queen Toriel accidentally called him so over a microphone. But Asgore willingly accepted it and laughed about it even…

Damn. He really WAS too harsh on the King.

"WELL… I SUPPOSE THAT DAY WAS NOT A GOOD DAY FOR EITHER OF US. SO… LET ME FORMALLY APOLOGIZE TO YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS, FOR MY IMMENSE RUDENESS BACK THEN. IT WAS UNCALLED FOR AND IT WAS NOT MY PLACE TO SAY SUCH TERRIBLE THINGS TO YOU. I HOPE YOU CAN FORGIVE ME." Gaster bows his head a bit and then looks up at the furry monster.

"I… there is no need. I was being insensitive to your situation."

Dammit, HE should be saying that, not THE KING. GOSH he's so BAD AT THIS! He never thought he'd feel bad for sassing Asgore, but he REALLY does…

"And to prevent future situations like that happening again… Gaster I'd like you to tell me what to do."

"I'M… SORRY? WHAT?"

"I have clearly done something wrong that needs to be corrected. Toriel left, and then I upset you. I'm worried that if I continue down the path I'm on, I'll upset the kingdom. I HAVE to fix this Gaster. Please help me."

Gaster stares in shock and lets the information sink in…

"UH...UHM… WELL LET'S SEE… THERE IS UNREST IN THE UNDERGROUND. I THINK… GOODNESS WHAT WOULD MY SON SAY…?"

Asgore chuckles.

"You really do rely on your son for matters like this then?"

"LIKE I SAID, I'M NOT GOOD AT THIS STUFF SIR. BUT UH… I THINK I HAVE AN IDEA. YOU ARE A KIND SOUL AND I THINK SOME MORE INTERACTION WOULD BE GOOD FOR YOU AND FOR THE PEOPLE."

"More interaction?"

Asgore thinks this is probably also the case for Gaster and holds back a twinge of a smile.

"INDEED. I'VE BEEN NOTICING THAT THE CHILDREN ARE GETTING SMARTER. ADAPTING TO HOW LIFE IS DOWN HERE AND THEY'RE THINKING OF NEW THINGS THAT WE ADULTS COULD NEVER THINK OF. IF YOU TALK TO THE MONSTERS OF THE UNDERGROUND, YOU'LL HEAR MORE THINGS AND GET MORE OPINIONS OF HOW THINGS ARE GOING DOWN THERE. AND IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON FIRST HAND, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO GOVERN THEM BETTER AND MAKE THEM HAPPIER."

Gaster nods a few times to himself.

"I SUPPOSE I'M JUST SAYING IN A NUTSHELL, BE ACTIVE NOT IN THE CASTLE, BUT IN THE TOWNS. IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS. LEVEL YOURSELF WITH THEM SO THEY DON'T SEE YOU AS AN INTIMIDATING FOOLISH KING, BUT A PERSON, JUST LIKE THEM."

"That is a GRAND idea Gaster! Are you sure you don't work in psychology?"

"IF ONLY I DID SIR. IF ONLY I DID. I GUESS I SPEAK FROM A CITIZENS POINT OF VIEW."

"Well it is a point of view that I should have considered earlier. Thank you very much for helping me with this… GOOD HEAVENS!" He suddenly shouts. Gaster jumps at the sudden boom of Asgore's voice and almost spills his tea.

"I've done it again! You came here to talk to me about something and I completely covered it in my own problems! What an awful person I am! I'm so sorry Gaster—"

"NO NO NO DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, I ALREADY SORTED IT OUT DURING THE CONVERSATION."

"Goodness what was it?"

"THAT I WANTED TO APOLOGIZE FOR BEFORE."

"Ah well—"

"I ALREADY KNOW IT'S ALRIGHT, YOU TOLD ME. BUT STILL. I AM GENUINELY SORRY. I'LL TRY TO BE MORE CAREFUL IN THE FUTURE."

"I will also try to be more careful in the future. Now. I'd like to propose something to you Gaster."

Gaster raises a brow and leans back a little.

"OH?"

"Yes. You've done outstanding work trying to figure out how to get us out of this mountain and creating the CORE. Dr. Gaster, I would like for you to take a vacation while I prepare and plan for interacting with the citizens."

"A WHAT?... H-HA HA! I DON'T THINK SUCH A WORD IS EVEN IN MY VOCABULARY YOUR HIGHNESS."

"Please Gaster, I insist. Take some time off and spend some more time with your boys! In fact, everyone working on the core and in the lab shall get a paid vacation!" Asgore booms and stands up happily. Gaster can't even form words. "Vacation" and "PAID Vacation" are words he's never heard uttered in his entire existence.

"B-BUT HOW—"

"Don't think twice about it Dr. Gaster! Or rather, since you're free for a while, might I call you Wing Dings?"

Gaster's jaw drops a little. He wasn't sure ANYONE really knew his first name since he doesn't even write it as such anymore. It's easier just to write "Gaster" and be done with it.

"U-UH…UHM…. Y-YYYEESSS I SUPPOSE SO?"

"Wonderful! Wing Dings you've lit a fire under me and now I'm excited to begin planning! What a good visit this has been!"

Gaster quietly wonders if this is what "talking about your feelings" does to a man. It's very strange and a little outlandish for the reserved Gaster. But… if it gets the King to finally get off of that damn throne and moping all day then gosh darn it he'll talk to him ALL the time!

"I'M… I'M GLAD I WAS ABLE TO HELP. I SUPPOSE I'LL LEAVE YOU TO YOUR PLANNING AND SUCH."

"Right, yes. I hope you have fun on your vacation Wing Dings. Because when you return I expect you'll be hard at work again. Enjoy it while it lasts!" Asgore says. Gaster doesn't think he's seen so many teeth in a smile before. And his sons are SKELETONS. But he guesses that's good.

Gaster prepares to leave and bows. They say their goodbyes and Gaster walks away totally dumbstruck. He was so terrible to the king before but he was still treated so nicely. He wonders if he'll ever understand.

And what the HELL is he supposed to do on vacation?!


	5. Vacation and Deep discussion

Vacation huh?

Gaster has never even THOUGHT about a vacation, or what one does on a vacation… But what he DOES know is that Sans and Papyrus are VERY pleased about this.

They finally return to their home in Snowdin and the wreath is still in place. It's almost strange to see the house and remember "ah yes this is mine."

Papyrus runs to the door and tries to open it, but it's locked of course.

"JUST A MOMENT PAPYRUS, I HAVE TO UNLOCK IT." He comes up and twists the key in and opens the door.

"REMEMBER TO WIPE YOUR F—" Gaster doesn't even get the full sentence out before Papyrus and Sans both run into the house shouting and jumping around. He decides to let it go.

"Papyrus! This is where we actually live! Isn't it cool? Look at the zigzag carpet! Isn't it neat?" Sans says with enthusiasm. Papyrus gets on his hands and knees and feels the thin carpet and then looks up at Sans with wonder in his eyes. He looks at the couch and crawls over to it, climbs it and jumps on it. Papyrus yells happily and then starts rolling on the couch, raucous laughter bursting from excitement.

Sans runs to the kitchen and opens the fridge. The food's all rotten, but he laughs anyway.

"Dad, we're going to have to replace all the food. Papyrus come look, it's growing mold!"

Gaster watches Papyrus roll off the couch face first and then scamper into the kitchen.

This is a truly sad sight. His children haven't been home in so long… Papyrus has never even really seen their home consciously. He's always lived in the lab. Sans had basically abandoned the place so he could stay at the lab and care for Papyrus because Gaster was too busy working…

He thinks he feels tears coming on… Gaster finally comes inside and closes the door behind him and sets his large back of work that he brought with him down on the floor.

Maybe this vacation was for the best after all… He's been working so hard FOR his sons that he ironically has not had any time to actually SPEND with his sons.

Papyrus comes up to Gaster and hits him softly in the leg with a pillow. Gaster looks down a bit surprised.

"PILLOW FIGHT!" Papyrus shouts and baps his dad's leg again. What the hell was a pillow fight? Well obviously he won't FIGHT his children; that is ridiculous. It's clearly a play thing children do.

Sans grabs a second pillow from the couch and rushes up to join in and gets Gaster in the hip laughing.

"Come on old man, think you can beat us?"

Good God, this is how much has gone past him. Sans has grown up before his eyes and yet he didn't see that he was still a child. Papyrus can walk now and he can only recall a few times where he helped him walk.

What a terrible father he has become… He must make up for it.

"I'M NOT SURE THAT I CAN! YOU'RE BOTH SO STRONG YOU MAY JUST OVERPOWER ME. BUT MAYBE IF I CAN DECREASE YOUR NUMBERS A BIT!" Gaster grins and picks up Papyrus and holds him upside down in his arms. Papyrus yells and laughs.

"Noooo Papyrus! I'll save you!" Sans yells and swings at Gaster quickly. Of course he doesn't swing to hurt, but he's still mindful of how hard he hits.

"SANS HELP! HE'S GOT ME!"

"Don't worry bro, I got this!"

Sans runs to the couch and jumps up on it. He gets on the back of it and then JUMPS!

"NO NO NO NO NO!" Gaster raises his voice a bit and catches Sans in his free arm.

Sans knew he would.

Gaster "phew"s and receives a pillow to the face.

"Gotchya!" The oldest brother yells.

"OH NO! I HAVE BEEN THWARTED! IT SEEMS I'VE GOTTEN WHAT I DESERVED!" Gaster sets Papyrus down and then crawls down himself and feigns a defeated pose.

"WE WIIIIINN!" screams little Papyrus. He then body slams right onto Gaster's stomach, getting an "OOF!" out of him. Sans cracks up.

"He's already down Pap! A valiant knight never attacks a man while he's down!" Papyrus gasps and stands up quickly

"DISGRACE! DISHONOR ON THE COW!" Sans bursts out laughing and Gaster sits up slowly. He wonders what they're talking about! Sans looks at his father and sees the slight confusion.

"I'll tell you later."

The family has several more pillow fights until Sans almost gets hurt again. Sans sees the worried look and swears he can feel the stress levels of his father rising. So he calls it quits.

"Hey Pap, let's go color something okay?" He says. Papyrus nods and yells. He runs around but he's not even sure where to go. Sans is suddenly holding a box of crayons and papers, handing them to his bro. The tot rushes off up the stairs one at a time rather slowly and goes to Sans' room. Why Sans', nobody knows.

"Phew."

"PHEW IS RIGHT. GOODNESS SANS YOU SHOULD BE MORE CAREFUL. I WORRY ABOUT YOUR 1 HP." Gaster pats his own chest, as if trying to slow his rising blood pressure down by steadying his heart. He plops on the couch and can only barely recall the last time he felt so winded. Sans was just a tot and HE was that hyper then as well.

Sans sits next to Gaster and just smiles.

"Yeah, but I'm still really careful normally. I've already tested a few things out to see how far I could go without hurting myself."

"WHAT?" Gaster looks down at Sans sharply with wide eyes.

"SANS THAT'S TERRIBLY DANGEROUS! PLEASE DO NOT DO THESE EXPERIEMENTS OF YOURS ANYMORE!... I…"

"Hehe… It's weirdly nice to hear you worry about me."

"WHAT?" He talks quieter now.

"I WORRY ABOUT YOU ALL THE TIME SANS…"

"I… I know you do. But it's nice to HEAR it. Pap and I don't get to talk to you a lot. Like REALLY talk to you. You've been working really hard so I've tried to keep us out of your way so you can get something done. But… I'm REALLY glad King Asgore gave you a vacation. It feels like Papyrus and I are on vacation too." Sans looks down at his shoes and wonders if he's divulging a little too much. But he can't help it. He's a child that wants answers. Even saying the words he's held in for a while make him happy enough to smile. But it fades, thinking that this vacation may not really pan out to be so nice if he can't spend more time with his dad.

"You're… not gonna work that hard on vacation are you dad?" He looks up at his father and is surprised to see… what look like small tears forming at the edge of his sockets.

"W-wh-wh n-no no no don't cry dad, I'm sorry—"

Gaster grabs Sans up and pulls him into his lap and into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"OH SANS MY BOY… I'M SO SORRY. I NEVER MEANT TO… TO PUSH YOU AND PAPYRUS AWAY LIKE THAT! I LOVE YOU BOTH SO MUCH… SO MUCH IT HURTS. I'M SO SO SO SORRY I DIDN'T SHOW IT ENOUGH."

Sans' eyes widen… He already knew his dad loved him… Hearing it is really nice. And even nicer is hearing that he regrets not spending time with them. It's a weird satisfaction.

And getting such a sincere hug is also super nice.

Sans tears up and hugs Gaster tightly, gripping his black coat with his still tiny hands.

"I love you dad."

Gaster can hear the boys' voice shake a little and he only hugs him tighter.

"I LOVE YOU TOO SANS…" This is something he has to tell both of his boys.

"PAPYRUS?" Gaster calls, careful to keep his tone normal. Papyrus pokes his head out of Sans' room, two crayons in each hand. He sees Gaster hold out a hand to him and his big eyes get bigger. Papyrus rushes to the stairs and goes down them carefully and one at a time, then rushes to the couch and jumps up into the hug so fast it hurts one of Gaster's ribs.

"DADDY!" Papyrus yells, hugging him tightly.

"MY BOY, PAPYRUS. DADDY LOVES YOU I LOVE YOU BOTH MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WHOLE WORLD… MORE THAN THE SUN AND THE MOON AND THE STARS PUT TOGETHER. I'VE BEEN FOOLISH AND SELFISH. I PROMISE I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN… DO YOU BELIEVE ME?"

"I'll always believe you dad. No matter what." He sniffles.

"I BELIEVE YOU!" Papyrus isn't EXACTLY sure what's going on, but he can feel it in his bones. This is important. He doesn't know what "sun, moon and stars" are, but either way, daddy says he loves them both MORE than those things. So it MUST be good!

"I PROMISE ON MY VERY SOUL TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOU BOTH FROM NOW ON. EVEN IF I'M MAKING A BREAKTHROUGH IN MY RESEARCH, IF YOU TWO COME TO ME AND NEED ME, I WILL DROP EVERYTHING AND BE THERE FOR YOU. GETTING TO THE SURFACE DOESN'T MEAN MUCH IF MY OWN CHILDREN ARE UNHAPPY."

Gaster kisses both of their heads and squishes his sons to his chest.

The legendary skeleton family hug lasts for a long time and none of them let go. They refuse to part. Why would anyone leave a sweet hug pile with their family?

So they just don't. They stay there for at least two hours quietly before they decide to watch TV together. Even then they stay together for another hour before Gaster hears the boys' magic belly rumble. He gets up and makes dinner. Spaghetti. Sans muses that it's really the only thing Gaster is good at cooking. It's only mildly gross, but it was made by his dad so he eats every last noodle. Papyrus couldn't care less about the taste weirdly enough. Usually he's quite picky. Sans thinks that maybe he feels the same way.

Papyrus immediately takes his place on Gaster's lap once they all return to the couch and buries himself inside the giant black coat. And with one large fatherly arm around him, he feels safe and warm and falls asleep faster than either of them have ever seen.

"Wow. That was quick. He's usually REALLY hard to get to sleep."

"I REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE HIS AGE. YOU WOULD GO THROUGH PHASES WHERE YOU'D EITHER SLEEP SO LONG I'D WORRY, OR YOU'D NEVER SLEEP AND YOU'D STILL BE HYPER. BUT GROWING UP BY ITSELF IS HARD WORK. YOUR BODY CHANGES A LOT AND WHEN BIGGER CHANGES HAPPEN YOU HAVE TO SLEEP MORE."

"It's weird to remember me being a baby bones. Was it hard to teach me to walk?" Sans looks up at his father and realizes just how content he looks. It's been a long time since he's seen that face.

"NOT AT ALL. YOU WERE SO READY TO WALK YOU ALMOST DIDN'T CRAWL IN THE FIRST PLACE. I REMEMBER THE WHOLE MONTH OF YOU TRANSITIONING FROM LAYING, TO CRAWLING TO WALKING. I SWEAR YOU WENT FROM CRAWLING TO WALKING IN TWO WEEKS. EVERY CHILD IS DIFFERENT THOUGH."

"Wow. So even as a baby I was super cool."

Gaster snerks, but nods. "OF COURSE."

"Hey dad… Can I talk to you about something? It'll be super quick, but I just thought I'd get more thoughts out."

"OH? PLEASE DO TELL ME THEN."

Sans leans on Gaster's arm and stares at the TV.

"I was thinking about that green soul kid."

Gaster tightens his jaw a little… Really, THAT?...

"I was wondering a lot. They were a kid that was only a couple years older than me I think at the time. And I know it's probably a weird thought to have but… are ALL humans really bad?"

Gaster wonders if he should be answering, or if he should be letting Sans talk it all out first?...

"I mean… there are millions of them right? Statistically, it's impossible for all of them to be bad. Hateful and murderous humans. There's no way. And… a lot of them are kids. I think if I was put onto the surface by myself I'd just be really scared. Knowing that I've heard all humans are bad, I might want to fight them to keep myself safe. I think maybe that the humans that have fallen down here have all been really scared. We probably look weird to them, and they probably have heard a bunch of awful stuff about us too from their parents and everyone else. Doesn't that make sense? Dad?"

"I… Y…YES. YOU ARE 100% CORRECT SANS… BUT… HMM. HOW SHOULD I PUT THIS…?" Gaster looks up at the ceiling and puts his free arm around Sans' shoulders, and lightly rubs his head absentmindedly. Sans waits for his father to think it out.

"I WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT THIS TO KING ASGORE YESTERDAY. I TOLD HIM THAT YOU CHILDREN SAW THINGS DIFFERENTLY THAN US ADULTS DO. AND I THINK THAT'S A REALLY GREAT THING. A FRESH PAIR OF EYES LOOKING AT THE SAME SITUATION IS VERY GOOD. AND WHILE I AGREE WITH WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT THE CHILDREN BEING SCARED AND DEFENDING THEMSELVES… SANS I JUST DON'T WANT YOU TO LET YOUR GUARD DOWN."

Sans looks up at how thoughtful his father looks… and then down at Papyrus who is sleeping peacefully.

"I bet it's hard for you to agree with me all the way on how I feel about humans. You've seen a lot more than I have and dealt with more humans than I ever will. So I bet my way of thinking sounds naïve and stupid. But just like how the kids of the underground are changing to think differently, maybe the human kids are changing in the same way." He stops and tries to think of more… Sans is always curious.

"Can you tell me exactly what you've seen that makes you think all humans are bad?"

"YOU'RE A CHILD SANS, I CAN'T BURDEN YOU WITH STUFF LIKE THAT."

"Then water it down for me. Please? I can't understand unless you tell me your side."

Gaster looks down at Sans and thinks hard…

"I'LL WATER IT DOWN A LOT. SANS MY BOY I WAS A TEENAGER WHEN THE WAR BROKE OUT. THE HUMANS WERE TERRIFIED OF US. TO THEM WE WERE SOUL STEALING DEMONS. AND TO US THEY WERE UNBEATABLE STATUES. THEY HARDLY CARED ABOUT EACH OTHER. CARING ABOUT US WAS OUTSIDE THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY. SO BOTH SIDES BROKE OUT INTO WAR AT THE SAME TIME AGAINST EACH OTHER. MONSTERS AREN'T MADE LIKE HUMANS ARE. AND I SAW ALL OF MY FRIENDS DIE. THERE WERE SEVERAL TIMES WHEN A HUMAN CHILD WOULD COME TO OUR CAMP SEEKING REFUGE. BUT THEY TOO WOULD KILL US. IN OUR SLEEP EVEN. WE THOUGHT THEY WERE INNOCENT CHILDREN AND WE PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE FOR THAT. YOU'RE RIGHT THAT NOT ALL HUMANS ARE LIKE THAT. BUT… THOSE ARE THE ONLY KINDS I'VE EVER SEEN. IT'S SELFISH OF ME BUT I CAN'T STOP HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT."

Sans stares at Gaster and he swears that every new facial expression is a different anguished memory floating in his mind. Indeed, if Gaster has only seen the horrible side of humans it makes sense that he would put all of them in the same group related to fear and terrorism.

"I'm sorry I made you remember all of that bad stuff. I didn't mean to make you sad."

"NOT AT ALL. I MUST ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS, AS YOUR FATHER. IF HUMANS HAVE CHANGED FOR THE BETTER THEN I SUPPOSE WE SHOULD WORK WITH THEM. I'M JUST… I'M SCARED."

"You can get scared dad?" This genuinely surprises Sans. But he guesses it shouldn't. He saw fear on his father's face when he almost died in Hotland.

"OF COURSE. I'M JUST A PERSON AFTER ALL. I'M SCARED TO TRUST THEM AFTER WHAT I'VE EXPERIENCED. AND MORE THAN THAT I'M SCARED THAT YOU AND PAPYRUS MIGHT SOME DAY COME ACROSS A HUMAN AND TRUST THEM… ONLY TO HAVE THEM HURT YOU IN THE END. I DON'T THINK I COULD EVER LOSE ANOTHER PERSON I CARE ABOUT WITHOUT COMPLETELY LOSING MY MIND."

Sans gulps a little. He forgets that serious talks scare him a little. But he has to get it out so it can be over with sooner rather than later!

"Well dad, then I promise if I ever see a human again, I won't trust them right away. Or turn my back to them. I'll be as safe as I possibly can and not fight them like last time. I'll run away. Would that make you feel better?"

"IT WOULD… I'M SORRY AGAIN ABOUT ALL OF THAT."

"No don't be. I asked and I got the answer I needed. I'll never know if I don't ask."

"THAT'S MY BOY." Gaster says and kisses Sans' head.

"I THINK IT'S TIME FOR BED THOUGH. I CAN ALREADY SEE THE SANDMAN PREPARING A DREAM FOR YOU."

"Nuh-uh, the sandman's not real." Sans smiles up at his dad and inwardly curses himself for the yawn that totally surprises him.

"WELL HE IS RIGHT NOW. COME ON, OFF TO BED."

Gaster stands up carefully, still being mindful of his youngest sleeping in his arms, and leads Sans up the stairs and to his room. Although he supposes the boys share the room in reality. The room on the left is his after all. How on earth is he going to expand the house when the two grow up and can't share a room comfortably anymore? Good grief.

He gets Sans into his bed who insists he's not even tired, and yet when the cover is draped over him and Papyrus, he falls right to sleep. Papyrus instinctually grips Sans' shirt in his sleep. Gaster watches the two of them sleep for several minutes to make sure everything is perfect, and then with the most care he kisses them on the head and leaves.


	6. The yellow soul child

Nearly a week has passed. Gaster has spent a lot of time with his boys and he couldn't be happier. Snowball fights and some very careful wrestling, lots of bedtime stories and some mostly decent food. They even go out to a little bar and grill like place. There's no name on the building but there's a young flame monster running the counter. Gaster isn't sure he's even old enough to serve alcohol… but whatever.

Sans and Papyrus light the place up. Everyone loves them and Gaster just watches the two ooze charm at everyone they talk to. Sans is quite the jokester and charmer. Everyone laughs at his jokes and silly puns. And Papyrus is just too cute for everyone to handle. Together they make a perfect duo.

When they leave everyone slouches a bit more, but Gaster says they'll all be back.

Late in the night, Gaster puts his boys to sleep and decides to lock the door and talk a walk in the forest. It's been a long time since he's walked in the forest and he forgot how beautiful and peaceful it is.

It's snowing. Huh. The steam from the Core and Hotland got cold on its way to this side of the mountain and now the moisture has frozen… He wonders if he could think of a way to cool Hotland down a little… The CORE might be damaged if it gets too hot. He'll have to plan that later on.

A Froggit jumps up to Gaster and ribbits at him. He crouches down and smiles at them.

"HELLO THERE. I HOPE YOU'RE DOING WELL OUT HERE WITH THE OTHERS." A ribbit in response.

"I SEE I SEE. WELL IF YOU SEE THE QUEEN IN THE RUINS WON'T YOU TELL HER I SAID HELLO? BUT DON'T SAY IT TOO HAPPILY."

"Ribbit."

The ground shakes a little and Gaster looks up quickly. He doesn't remember earthquakes feeling so weird.

The Froggit hops away and Gaster stands up straight, looking in the direction the shaking is coming from.

"WHAT ON EARTH?"

He must investigate.

He walks about 500 yards closer to the ruins and… the doors are opening.

"THE RUINS… ARE OPENING? I DIDN'T KNOW THAT DOOR OPENED ANYMORE… WAIT A SECOND…"

Gaster never really took the time to wonder where exactly the humans were coming in from. But it makes sense. The ruins. They come out of the ruins where the Queen is. Is she letting these little devils come through to kill their people?! That wen-… Oh gods…

From the doors emerge a human child. Why the hell are they all children anyway?

The child has on a cowboy hat and irregular clothes. Gaster doesn't recall ever seeing humans wear such attire before… He notices how happy and smiley they are, filled with wonder at the snow inside a mountain! How odd this place is!

No… not another human. Blast these creatures! His sons are right at home too. The door is locked, but humans are disgustingly resourceful! He must stop them here.

But he remembers Sans' words… Does he dare take a chance?...

Gaster steps out and stands tall in the way of the child, just past the little bridge. The human walks up to him and smiles widely.

"Wow! You sure are tall! Nice turtle neck!" They say. Gaster eyes them suspiciously… He notes that they speak a language he's fluent in. Most monsters know the language at least a little bit since it's what mostly falls in the dump in Waterfall. But he doesn't answer.

The human just keeps smiling, happy as can be.

"What's your name mister?" They ask with zeal. Gaster just glares at them and ignores them… They chuckle nervously and hold up both of their hands.

"Hey it was just a question. I'm sorry if it bugged you! I didn't mean—" When they hold up their hands, a revolver is revealed on their belt. Gaster sees it and while he hasn't seen guns like that in a long time, it's still a weapon.

"YOU HAVE A GUN." He says flatly. The kid looks down at it and then quickly back up at Gaster, waving their hands around.

"Oh no no no! It's empty! And it doesn't even work. It's really old and it's just an antique." They nod matter-of-factly and slowly put their hand down and take it off of their belt.

"I only wear it because it looks cool on me! It makes me look like a cowboy! Wanna see it?" They bring up the gun flat in their hand and hold it up to Gaster for him to examine. But before it gets too close to him he teleports away behind the trees. The child is amazed.

"Whoa wait don't go, I'm not going to hurt-… you. Wow he is STRAIGHT up gone!..." They look at the gun in their hand and frown at it. They wanted to look cool like a cowboy… but they ponder on the idea that the gun is scary.

"Uhm… If you're anywhere around here I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! I hope I can see you again and tell that to your face!" They stand and look around for a few seconds… then cross the bridge. The gun goes back on their belt, but in the back of it.

Gaster follows them, easily hidden in the trees. He watches this child talk to Whimsun and several Froggit's. Some Moldsmal's wiggle up and initiate battle. A yellow soul. But the child just wiggles back and laughs. Is… Is that kid PLAYING with the monsters?

The child spares every single monster they come across. Even once they get into the inn, they buy things with the gold they found and don't steal or threaten anyone. They go all around Snowdin and just talk and dance and play with everyone and Gaster can't believe no one is freaking out right now! Do they not see that this THING is a human? They're only being nice so they can stab them all in the back later!... Or could it be that they're actually nice? Impossible…

Eventually the child passes the skeleton house and heads into Waterfall. Gaster teleports inside the house and looks out the window at the human skipping away…

"Dad?" Sans says. His arms are folded and he stares at his dad. Gaster gasps in surprise. He's SUPPOSED to be asleep.

"AH, HELLO SANS WHY AREN'T YOU IN BED?"

"I went to get something to eat and you weren't around. So I waited."

"AH… I'M SORRY. I JUST WENT OUT FOR A WALK IS ALL."

Gaster can see that Sans isn't buying the whole story. Darn his son is smart and perceptive.

"Uh huh… You don't teleport in the house and then stare out the window after taking a walk dad. Tell me what happened."

Obviously he's reluctant to tell Sans… but one way or another he'll find out anyway, so…

"I CAME ACROSS ANOTHER HUMAN. THEY CAME OUT OF THE RUINS."

Sans' eyes widen and he drops his arms to his sides…

"Did they… hurt anyone?"

"NOT YET. BUT I WATCHED THEM THIS WHOLE TIME. THE LITTLE TRICKSTER TALKED TO EVERYONE THEY MET. THEY HAD A GUN, BUT IT WAS VERY OLD. THEY SAID IT DIDN'T WORK BUT THOSE ARE JUST WORDS." Gaster squints out the window, unable to see the kid anymore and then backs away.

"Maybe… They're actually nice."

"SANS, DON'T YOU DARE GO NEAR THAT HUMAN."

"I won't." Sans quickly shakes his head and holds his hands up a little. Even though he wonders if the human is nice, his experience was still really scary.

"AND DON'T TELL PAPYRUS ABOUT THEM EITHER. KNOWING HOW KIND AND YOUNG HE IS, HE'S LIKELY TO TRY AND MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE CHILD. YOU UNDERSTAND RIGHT?"

"Yes sir!" Sans salutes.

Gaster leads Sans back up to the bedroom and he stays in there with his boys. But he doesn't sleep. He can't.

The next day, Gaster insists he left something at the lab and he must go get it. But he's worried about leaving the boys home alone for so long. He worries that Sans and Papyrus will be disappointed in him, but since Sans knows about the situation, he assures Papyrus they'll come back.

"I promise we'll come back. Dad just left something at work is all. We'll come back and play with those action figures we found okay?" Sans beams at Papyrus to doubly assure him that things will work out in their favor. And Papyrus is easily swayed.

"OKAY!"

They walk up from their house to the River person and ride all the way to Hotland.

"Tra la la.~ Eat a mushroom every day." They say.

"Whyyy?" Sans says questioningly.

"Then I know you're listening to me."

They make it to Hotland and Gaster quickly goes to the lab and down the elevator, waving a quick hello to the owl receptionist. Down down down they go until they get to Gaster's office.

"YOU TWO BE GOOD WHILE I LOOK FOR THE THING." He says and goes to his office quickly.

Papyrus watches him go and frowns a little… then IMMEDIATELY brightens up!

"SANS! HIDE AND SEEK!" He says pulling on Sans' hoody sleeve.

"Hide and seek huh? Sure. But we gotta be careful okay?"

"CAREFUL!"

The two begin their game while Gaster shifts through papers in his desk drawer. He wasn't really LYING about forgetting the paper, but he really only wanted to come back and spy on that punk kid a little more…

He sits and turns on a small security TV he's got so he could watch progress on the CORE. But he switches it now to the other cameras in Hotland. They must be here by now… Where are they…

Sans and Papyrus run around hiding and seeking the better part of an hour. Sans knows that Gaster is looking for the kid on his cameras. He's learned the way Gaster reacts to human scares by now. Now Sans just slips into the role he normally takes, which is "take care of Papyrus myself" mode.

While sans is counting, Papyrus actually rushes all the way to the elevator. He's seen how his dad and brother use it, so he gets inside and presses the up button. Sans finishes counting and looks around… But he doesn't find Papyrus anywhere.

"H-Haha alright bro you got me, you win. Where are you little man?" Sans begins to panic a little. Maybe Hide and seek in the lab wasn't such a great idea… But to his side he can hear the shaking of the elevator cords. He gasps and rushes over. Papyrus ACTUALLY made the elevator go up? No way! Jeez this was a bad idea. He's gotta get Pap back to Gaster before he finds out!

Papyrus toddles out of the elevator in the lobby and laughs. The owl receptionist looks over and doesn't see anyone accompanying him.

"Oh? Little one what are you doing up here alone?"

"HIDE AND SEEK!"

"Oh dear, I'm afraid that this is not the best place to be for that game. There are no hiding places silly goose. You should go back. Sans and your father are probably worried about you." They stand up and go to Papyrus picking him up.

"AWW. I'M CAUGHT?"

"I'm afraid so little one."

The elevator arrives and Sans rushes out with panicked eyes.

"Papyrus?"

"Here Sans." The owl says. Sans looks over and slumps in relief.

"Thanks! Papyrus why did you use the elevator? You know you're not supposed to go near it… Ah never mind, it's my own fault for not being more careful…"

Down in Gaster's office he flicks through the channels faster over and over in a loop until FINALLY he sees the human coming through.

"AHA! FOUND YOU YOU MISCHEVIOUS LITTLE HUMAN." He watches the child make nice with the royal guards. They fight but the human doesn't attack even once. They show the monsters some mercy and talk things out.

What is WRONG with this human? Gaster can't understand what they're doing. What they're after… Why are they being NICE?... Is it actually possible that humans are changing?... There's no way! It must just be this human. Even if they are nice, they can't leave the underground. Once you're in, you're in. They'll begin to feel trapped and once they get scared they'll start killing. He just KNOWS it!

Gaster watches the child spare many monsters and play with them and talk… until they make their way up to the lab doors. The kid looks up at the doors and up to a camera. They look right at Gaster it seems and they just smile and wave. They don't know who's watching, but clearly someone is.

Gaster leans back in his seat and grimaces. Hmph. It's not like they'll be able to get in anyway, those doors are sealed with a very complicated wiring system—

The doors slide right open.

"WHAT?!" Gaster shouts in surprise.

"NO NO NO NO, WAIT WAIT DON'T—DAMN!" He flicks to the next channel and he sees the owl… and his SONS IN THE LOBBY.

"OH—OH NO… OH PLEASE NO…"

He watches Sans and Papyrus hide behind the owl monster and the kid walks in, not seeming to have noticed the two hiding. The owl puffs up their feathers to try and hide them better.

"Hello owl friend!" The child says.

"This is a cool place you've got here! I saw that the top of the doors that it said lab… I didn't open the doors, they just sorta did it themselves."

"D-did they now! Aaahahaha those… those silly doors! We'll have to fix them it seems! H-HAHAHA!"

The kid watches how nervous the owl seems to be and looks down a little.

"Uhhhmm… Well I think your feathers are pretty…. Uh… How do I get outta here? I can't go back the way I came."

"Aaahhahhahaha! Yes yes the way out! It's just there, the door right in front of you that way!" They say and point with a feather to the exit. The kid looks just under their wing and sees at least one monster hiding behind them…

Are they scared of them?... Why are they scared?...

This saddens the human and they nod and quickly go to the exit door.

"Thank you for showing me the way out." They say and leave. The doors slide closed behind them…

The owl HOOOOTS a sigh of relief and relaxes their feathers.

"Boys, you get to your father this second."

"Y-yeah! T-thank you for hiding us. I'm really really sorry."

"We've all learned something I think. Quickly now."

Sans nods and picks Papyrus up off the ground and holds him tightly as he rushes a few feet to the elevator.

Papyrus looks up at his brother and… for the first time he sees that Sans is really scared. He's shaking and doing his best to keep his composure. He wonders why Sans is so scared… So he hugs his brother and rubs his arm, something Sans would do for him if he were sad or scared.

Sans gets to the bottom and runs all the way to Gaster, who meets them just before the four colored elevator. Gaster crushes the two in a hug and lets out a huge sigh of relief.

"YOU TWO ARE BOTH UNBELIEVABLY GROUNDED DO YOU HEAR ME?"

"Ye-yes!" Sans says shakily and hugs Gaster tightly. Gaster can see small tears swelling up in Sans' eyes and forces himself to take a calming breath… It's not like they knew the human would come DIRECTLY into the lab…

Another part of him though is still surprised that the human didn't do anything. Could it really be possible that the child is NOT like the other humans he's met on the surface…? Are they really actually a kind human?...

"SANS, PLEASE GO TO MY OFFICE WITH PAPYRUS AND LOCK THE DOOR BEHIND YOU. AND THIS TIME PLEASE DON'T LEAVE?"

"I w-won't, I swear." Sans nods quickly and Gaster wipes the small tears off of his face.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT TOO PAPYRUS?"

"I'M OKAY. WHAT YOU TWO TALKING ABOUT?"

"NOTHING PAPYRUS. DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. JUST GO WITH YOUR BROTHER AND BE GOOD FOR HIM ALRIGHT?"

"I'LL BE GOOD!" Papyrus says with gusto. Gaster shoos the two away and teleports upstairs to the owl who is still calming down. They look at the front open doors and is trying to figure out what went wrong. Why on earth did they open?

"WHERE DID IT GO?" Gaster says. The owl gasps and turns around.

"O-oh, they exited that way. D-Doctor what are we going to do? They… They didn't attack me or the boys but they're heading to the king! I don't know what they're planning or IF they're planning… Uhm…" They fully turn to face Gaster.

"I think perhaps the child is lost Dr. Gaster… I think if they had hurt anyone we would have heard about it… What are we going to do?"

Gaster is quiet and he thinks… With a long sigh he forces himself to relax.

"I'M GOING TO FOLLOW THEM. IF THEY ATTEMPT TO HURT THE KING…."

"Gaster… Maybe they… just need help."

"PERHAPS. I… I'LL GIVE THEM THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT FOR NOW. BUT THE EXACT MOMENT I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO HURT SOMEONE, I WILL-… I'LL DEAL WITH IT."

The owl smiles a little bit and nods.

"Try not to jump too quickly Gaster. I know how you feel but… This child seems rather nice. It might seem strange for me to say, but give them a chance."

Gaster stares at them… then nods.

"ONLY ONE." He turns and exits the lab.

Outside the lab he can hear the human a few hundred yards away laughing. Gaster hides in whatever shadows he can and watches.

The child is talking with a Vulkin and encouraging them. Things go well and the human never reaches for their gun. Further up they talk with a Pyrope and they heat things up to the max. The kid laughs and hoots and hollers excitedly. They seem to be having fun.

For just a moment as Gaster watches, he thinks he can see a little bit of his own children in them… Just playing and having a good time.

Dangit… this kid might actually be a good person. Why are they even down here?... He doesn't understand.

The child moves on after waving goodbye to their new monster friends and Gaster begins to move quietly in their wake.

"VULKIN," He says when he gets up to the little monster. "WHO WAS THAT?"

"Nice person! Say nice things to me! Aah!~ Does my best!" The little tiny volcano monster smiles sweetly and does a little dance.

"I SEE… THANK YOU."

Gaster passes Pyrope who just continually screams "BURN BABY BURN!" excitedly.

The child has come so far and has not hurt a single monster. Gaster didn't get to meet the other children whose souls now rest in a tank at the Barrier. He wonders what the other human children were like. He's only ever met the green soul child who was cruel… and now this yellow souled child who is amazingly nice. This is a very strange turn of events for him.

He continuously follows the child many yards away until the kid gets to a long strip of just pipes. The kid looks at the pipes and nods to themselves. They wonder if they can slide all the way across! Taking several steps back, they then rush forward and sliiiide the whole way without falling. They yell and laugh, having a little TOO much fun Gaster thinks. But they didn't fall so that's a plus. Them falling would mean their soul disappearing into the lava. And that would NOT be helpful for anyone.

Many feet ahead the child now gets to pillars with vents on top of them blowing out hot steamy air.

The kid of course uses this as a chance to play on them, letting the steam blast them to the next pillar.

"I'M… REASONABLY SURE THEY WERE NOT MADE FOR THAT… DOES THIS HUMAN FIND FUN IN EVERYTHING? GOODNESS THEY'RE ALMOST LIKE PAPYRUS…"

Eventually the kid makes it to the longest walkway of just pipes. And they stand at one end. Maybe they can slide all the way across this too! That'd be a real accomplishment!

Gaster can't help a part of his heart from aching with worry. What is WRONG with him?... Worrying about some HUMAN brat!

But maybe he should warn them at least. Something… He knows that Sans or Papyrus would do this and if it were them he would scold them so fast their skulls would spin.

"UHM—" Before he can raise his voice high enough for the human to hear him over the steam, they take a running start and begin to slide.

But halfway through, the child slips and loses their footing….


	7. Plus 1 Yellow soul Justice isn't real

EXTRACTION 7

The child slips and loses their footing…

"W-whoa!" they swing their arms around to try and save themselves, but with nothing but slick pipe to grab onto, they fall off the side and scream.

"NO NO NO NO!" Gaster shouts, throwing his hand out. His eye and his hand glow brightly with purple magic and a large skeleton hand with a hole in the palm reaches out and grabs the child by their wrists.

The kid screams and holds on tightly to the skeleton hand. They look up and see just a floating hand and -standing on the solid end of the pipes is the tall monster they saw before! At the exit of the ruins in that Snowdin town!

Gaster has the hand float to him with the child dangling still.

For one short second, he thinks about dropping them into the lava himself.

But when the child looks up at him, he sees many emotions all at once. Fear and almost dying a very hot painful death, and gratefulness for being saved.

He brings them onto solid ground and then softly lets them go. The kid falls to their knees at Gaster's feet and try to catch their terrified breath.

"Th-thank you! You were the monster I met in Snowdin! Who wouldn't… talk to me." They look up at him and finally stand up. Gaster is quiet for a while, so the kid takes charge of the conversation. Again.

"So… you don't seem to like me very much mister… Why did you save me?"

"I'M… NOT ENTIRELY SURE… I JUST FELT THAT I HAD TO."

"I thought you didn't trust me?" Jeez, the kids on land for five seconds and they're already cocky! Good grief.

"I DO NOT… HOWEVER… I WAS ASKED TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE. SO I AM. THAT IS ALL."

The human stares up at this tall monster and just smiles.

"That's really nice of you. Can you maybe… tell me your name now?"

Several seconds of silence….. and then, "YOU WILL CALL ME GASTER."

"Oh cool name! It suits you! Hehe.~~"

"WHAT DOES that MEAN?" Squint.

"Well it's mysterious and intimidating. Just like you! Heehee! Anyway I have some questions!"

"YOU ARE CERTAINLY CONFIDENT… IT'S WORRYSOME."

"Ah yeah well that was one of my questions. While I've been walking around, I noticed that some of the people down here are scared of me…. I don't know why though. And you're one of the people that aren't fond of me so maybe you can tell me! You seem smart and articulate and stuff." The child smiles and folds their arm with a nod. Gaster looks down his face at them and notices just how small they are…

"YOU DON'TKNOW? I FIND THAT HARD TO BELIEVE… EITHER WAY, IF I'M GOING TO TELL YOU ANYTHING, IT'S GOING TO BE SOMEWHERE THAT IS NOT SO MISERABLY HOT. I'M A BIT SHOCKED YOUR SKIN ISN'T MELTING OFF RIGHT ABOUT NOW."

"What?!" The kid looks at their hands and feels their face to make sure nothing is melting. Gaster just sighs exasperated and teleports the two of them away to Level 3 of Hotland. He actually goes all the way to the Hotland hotel. It's just a normal hotel. Small and only one floor.

The human sighs happily at the cool relief of the stairs by the entrance and just curls up to them. Gaster sits next to them, partly planning to steal the gun… But also he's very hot too. Damn lava

"So uh, thanks again for saving me back there. I thought of all the people down here you'd be the last one to help me! But anyway, you were gonna tell me why some of you guys are scared of me."

"GOODNESS WHAT DO THOSE HUMANS TEACH YOU ON THE SURFACE THESE DAYS? DON'T YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE WAR?"

"The war? Hmmm…" The kid thinks and then shakes their head. "Nope! Not ringing a bell… OH! I mean sorta? I didn't go to school."

"DIDN'T GO TO SCHOOL?"

"Long story. But tell me about it!"

"YOU MUST BE JOKING…. GRACIOUS FINE! IT COULDN'T HAVE BEEN /THAT/ MANY YEARS AGO…"

Gaster clears his throat and begins to tell the story. Humans and monsters lived together on the surface. Until war broke out. May died for foolish reasons neither side could actually explain and finally the humans got scared enough of the monsters who were able to steal human souls after death and become almost godlike that they sealed the creatures underground. Gaster explains that they only took souls like that because there was no other way to defend their pathetic bodies that would crumble if killed. A single blow from a human's sword would kill them instantly. An arrow shot in just the right place would one shot them. And the damn humans would get their arrows back out of the dust of the fallen.

And now here they all are, trapped underground. Left to rot and die.

"YOU NOT EVEN KNOWING WHAT HAPPENED ANGERS ME. THEY'RE TRYING TO PRETEND LIKE WE NEVER EXISTED. LIKE THEY COULD NEVER BE WRONG ABOUT A CHOICE THEY MADE. THEY LEFT US HERE. AND NOW WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY OUT."

The human is speechless. Of course they heard a LITTLE about the war from the adults and old people… but they never heard anything past "Never go up to Mt. Ebott. You will never return."

"I'm… I'm really sorry. On behalf of all humans I'm super sorry about that whole thing. You know Mister Gaster… I think that if I was alive back then and old enough to fight… I wouldn't fight you guys. I would try to make my people stop. The whole thing sounds like a really big and really stupid misunderstanding…"

Gaster looks down at the child and can see that they really ARE sorry for what happened. They're REALLY ACTUALLY upset over what his people did… He supposes that just because the child grew up on the surface with humans doesn't mean they have to agree with everything they do… He never thought he'd get to see such a different perspective before.

"IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT. THAT IS A VERY NICE SENTIMENT THAT YOU WOULD TRY TO STOP THINGS LIKE THAT. AGAINST YOUR OWN PEOPLE."

"It's not right, everything that happened. Both sides made mistakes and… I think this type of punishment is cruel. There's no justice in any of this… How are you planning to get out of here Gaster?"

The scientist is quiet for a bit… should he really tell them?...

"SEVEN HUMAN SOULS. SINCE SEVEN MAGICIANS TRAPPED US DOWN HEE, WE NEED SEVEN HUMAN SOULS TO COUNTERACT THE MAGIC AND BREAK THE BARRIER THAT'S KEEPING US ALL DOWN HERE."

"Wow… Man things got this messed up in the past?... I'm sorry that any of this had to happen… Say uh…"

They look up at Gaster with an earnest expression.

"Do you have any kids?"

Gaster hesitates of course… But it's clear to him that this child truly doesn't want to hurt anyone.

"YES. TWO."

The child stands up and dusts themselves off and adjust their cowboy hat on their head.

"Two huh? So they grew up down here…"

"A LOT OF CHILDREN HAVE. BUT MARK MY WORDS CHILD, I WILL FIND A WAY TO SET US FREE. WITH OR WITHOUT ALL SEVEN HUMAN SOULS. I'M NOT SURE WHAT WE'LL DO ONCE WE MAKE IT TO THE SURFACE, BUT I SUPPOSE IF ASGORE SOMEHOW MAGICALLY GETS YOU OUT OF HERE, I'LL MAKE SURE NOT TO BOTHER YOU."

"Haha! That's nice of you. I think." They smile up at Gaster and the tall scientist can't look away. Their smile is so genuine that he supposes if he didn't know any better he'd believe them without question.

Humans are terrifying.

"Uh so hey! I heard from some of you guys that if I see this King Asgore guy, he might be able to get me home. Can you take me to him?"

Gaster gasps and leans away.

"I WOULD NEVER LEAD A HUMAN DIRECTLY TO OUR KING! ALTHOUGH… I SUPPOSE YOU'D NEVER MAKE IT IN A FIGHT WITH HIM ANYWAY…"

"At least you're honest… Welp! I'm gonna go explore a little more! See ya later Faster!" They laugh and run off into the hotel waving at him.

"WH-WHAT? WAIT A SECOND! HEY! IT'S GASTER WITH A G!" He shouts after the child. But they're gone.

This is very strange. The child means it. They're sincere. They won't hurt anyone…

Knowing this, Gaster leaves the hotel and teleports several times back to the lab and to his office where his sons are.

Papyrus got bored and went to sleep. Sans is still awake of course. He gasps when Gaster suddenly appears, but relaxes when he sees his father's face.

"Dad…"

"DON'T WORRY SANS. NOTHING HAPPENED."

"R-really?"

"YES REALLY… I'LL EXPLAIN. DO YOU WANT TO GO HOME FIRST?"

"Yes please." Sans nods and looks at Papyrus still in his arms. Gaster picks Sans up and teleports. All this teleporting is sure taking a lot of magic out of him. But whatever gets his boys home faster he supposes.

Back in Snowdin, Gaster walks the rest of the way back home and then gets inside. He puts Papyrus to bed and then sits on the couch with Sans in the living room.

Sans finally manages to relax and he takes a few steadying breaths.

"You sure can teleport really fast and far dad. Do you think I'll be able to do that some day?"

"OF COURSE. IT'S ONLY NATURAL THAT YOU BOTH WILL BE ABLE TO DO IT EVENTUALLY. YOU BOTH HAVE GREAT MAGIC BUILDING IN YOU AND I'M RATHER EXCITED TO SEE HOW EVERYTHING DEVELOPS WHEN YOU'RE ADULTS."

Gaster rubs Sans' head and relaxes a bit more himself.

He goes on to explain what happened with the child and Sans could NOT be happier.

"Wow… so they're actually nice! And you two didn't fight! I'm so happy… I always thought that there was a big chance of humans being nice. I knew some of them could be nice. And a nice one landed in the underground! That's much better than the last kid. Speaking of which, why is it ONLY kids that have fallen down? I heard from some kids at school that King Asgore said that all the souls were children's souls."

"WAIT WHAT? ASGORE WAS AT YOUR SCHOOL?" He's already begun then. That's good.

"Yeah! Isn't that weird?"

"NOT AT ALL. HE'S A KING, NOT A GOD. WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT IT WHEN YOU HEARD THAT ASGORE HAD VISITED YOUR FRIENDS AT SCHOOL?"

Gaster has kept Sans home from school for the last week. He can easily teach Sans the same things at home. More even if they put their minds to it. For this vacation at least he's keeping him home.

"I thought it was really cool! I've read books from the dump with Papyrus and any kings that I read about were jerks. They thought they were super duper cool, but they were just mean and didn't even care about the people he ruled over. I was starting to think that King Asgore was like that too. But he proved the books wrong and it makes me really happy."

"GOOD. THEN IT'S ALL WORKING OUT."

"Uhm… But dad I'm glad you proved me wrong too."

"WHAT?"

Sans looks down at his hands and he twiddles his little thumbs, a relaxed smile on his face.

"I was scared that you might kill the human again. I mean, we had that really good conversation before, but… I can't just change your mind overnight you know? So I thought that the second you saw this new kid that you'd…"

"I DIDN'T KILL THEM BECAUSE YOU SHOWED ME A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. I THOUHT LONG AND HARD ABOUT IT, AND WHEN I DID FINALLY TALK TO THEM THEY WERE…. UNUSUALLY KIND. IT WAS STRANGE FOR ME, BUT EVEN I CAN SEE THAT THEY TRULY MEAN NO HARM TO US. I THINK IF YOU HADN'T TALKED TO ME ABOUT HOW YOU FELT, THINGS MIGHT HAVE TURNED OUT DIFFERENTLY. I DARE SAY THAT CHILD OWES YOU THEIR LIFE… N-NOT LIKE THAT! JEEZ."

Gaster rubs his whole face with one hand and Sans laughs.

Seeing his son happy makes him happy. It seems it was worth not taking the humans soul after all.

He could have taken it from them in Hotland. He could have killed them right there where no one was watching. It was the perfect time. It would have been one more soul that leads them to being free.

But for now he supposes the human can live. Maybe they'll even stay down there for a long time. Maybe they'll grow old with everyone down there and they'll be the first human to ever live peacefully in the underground.

He guesses it's not impossible.

And yet, he has this strange feeling that things will not turn out that way.

()

Two days go by and Gaster has heard from some of the Royal Guardsmen that the human is weirdly nice and energetic. If they can make a friend then by golly they will search for you and be your friend.

Gaster is glad to hear that the human is doing well and still being kind to the monsters… But he feels like doing a little more spying. If they're still at the CORE then it would be logical for them to go further and seek out the king. While Gaster didn't tell them where he was, that doesn't mean other monsters won't tell them…

Out in the forest before Snowdin town, the skeleton family make snowmen and snow forts. A snowball fight ensues and everyone becomes soaking wet in the end.

While skeletons can't feel temperature the same way others can, lacking skin and such, they can still feel if something is hot or cold. And obviously without skin and flesh, they don't really have a good way of warming up if they're cold.

Gaster takes the two back home and inside and fills up a tub with hot water. The bathroom is in between His room and the boys' room.

A sluggish and tired bath later, Sans and Papyrus finally warm and happy go to sleep. A thankfully deep sleep. Hopefully Sans won't wake up this time and notice his absence.

()

Several teleportations and a trip with the River person later, he arrives at the CORE. While everyone working on it is supposed to be on vacation, some monsters chose to stay and work anyway. Gaster greets them all and asks how things are going and if the human passed through.

Things are going mostly well, but it's HOT… Also, the human passed through and they were incredibly nice. Gaster replies with his plan to send ice blocks from Snowdin in the river which flows through waterfall and into Hotland. Things are settled and he leaves.

But along the way he doesn't see the kid. He asks most of the monsters he passes if they came through and he actually gets as far as the last corridor.

"Yeah they came through! Friendliest little thing I've ever seen. But uh, they were acting a little weird."

"W…WEIRD?" Oh no… Did they have a change of heart?

"Yeah weird. They were really happy when they were talking to us, but when they went to leave they didn't look so good. I couldn't see their face under the hat but… I dunno I wonder if they're sick or something."

"THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME."

Gaster rushes off, panic beginning to rise. There are no more monsters going up to the throne room and that would mean that there's no one protecting the king!

No no no please don't let that human kill Asgore! Dammit he should have killed them when he had the chance!

He begins to run down the catwalks until he sees the entrance to the throne room. When he gets to the door he skids to a stop.

Inside stands the human in front of King Asgore. And of course Asgore looks happy as can be. The king spots Gaster and waves a little.

"Ah Wing- er, uh… Child, this man here is Dr. W.D. Gaster."

The kid turns around and smiles in a strange sad way at him. Gaster is confused and he slowly walks inside and around the child suspiciously, and takes a spot slightly in front and to the side of Asgore.

"Yeah we've met before. He was the first monster outside of the ruins that I ran into."

"Is that so? My my Gaster why didn't you tell me?"

"IT WAS COMPLICATED…" The scientist leans in and whispers to Asgore. "They've been nice so far, but I'm still a bit worried. They're acting strangely and I don't like it…"

Asgore whispers back, "Nonsense I think that perhaps something is on their mind but I don't think it's ill will. I would be able to tell."

"You must be joking." Gaster says mostly under his breath… The human clears their throat and the two monsters look at them.

"Uhm… I have something I think is really important to ask you two."

"A REQUEST?"

"What might it be human?"

The kid is silent for a little… and then they remove their hat and hold it at their side. They look up at the two with probably the saddest smile they've both ever seen.

"I want you to take my soul."

Gaster's eyes widen so much he wonders if he might break his face. A human being nice in the first place is strange for him. But they want to actually give them their soul?

"HUMAN I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS FOR US TO TAKE YOUR SOUL. YOU'LL HAVE TO DIE. WE'LL HAVE TO KILL YOU."

The child nods.

"I know."

"Child, why have you…. decided such a thing?"

"I've traveled all around the underground and talked to almost every single monster down here. I learned about the history of what happened to you guys and… it's not fair. It's not fair!"

"It isn't your fault though young one… You should NOT take on such a weighty responsibility upon yourself! No matter how many sins either of our sides have done, you can't take the burden all on yourself."

"There are six other souls aren't there?" They ask flatly. The monsters gulp a little…

"I'll just share the burden with them. It's our ancestors that did this to you. It's only right that we make it up to you."

"PREPOSTEROUS." Asgore looks down at Gaster, a little surprised. Even though they talked, Asgore is still under the impression that Gaster absolutely hates humans and could absolutely not care less if they all died. He and the human must have talked a lot if he's changed like this.

"CHILD, I HAVE DONE SO MUCH WRONG IN MY LIFE TIME. I WOULD NEVER /EVER/ EXPECT MY CHILDREN TO FIX WHAT I HAD BROKEN. /YOU/ DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. SO /YOU/ SHOULD NOT PAY FOR IT… I… I KNOW THAT WITH SIX SOULS ALREADY THAT DOESN'T SEEM… VERY SINCERE… BUT…"

The child smiles at him widely and giggles quietly.

"Well then let me put it this way. I want to help you guys get out of here. I don't wanna tell you about my life story and junk… but I already know that I've lived my part of life. I came to Mt. Ebott on purpose… And when I thought it was over, you people showed me the best thing I could ever ask for… I've finished. And I WANT you to take my soul. I want to help you get closer to escaping! Don't think so hard about this okay? If you don't take my soul now then you'll have to wait forever for another person to come down here."

They're so earnest and direct… Asgore stares at the child in slight horror… It reminds him of a time long ago when his own children wanted to do the same thing. Sacrifice themselves to free monster kind.

Gaster puts a hand on Asgore's arm and the two turn around to talk quietly.

"Your highness… They're… right you know."

"Gaster how... what am I to do?... How can they be so… so straight forward about this? They KNOW we'll have to kill them…"

"Yes… I don't like this any more than you do. But… like they said, if we don't take their soul now then we'll have to wait longer—"

"Wing Dings how could you? They're just a child! If we have to wait down here for a few more years—"

"That is selfish Asgore. Prolonging our own people's fate of dying down here because you want to spare one child?"

Asgore looks hard at Gaster for many quiet but tense seconds…

"Your highness… We have to… If you don't want to do it then let me." A glare this time from Asgore… He's never had to kill any of the children himself. How could he after he watched his own children die before his eyes?

"Sir…" Gaster prods. Asgore can't do it… He can't bring himself to do it.

And so the King of monsters nods at Gaster and turns to the human.

"So did you make a decision?" They ask a little too chipper for the mood.

"We have… I am… I…. I'm so sorry child."

"Don't be. I know that this is for the good of everyone."

Asgore almost opens his mouth to… to… Gosh, SOMETHING! To say that this is wrong. But… They've already gone way too far at this point to feel that way.

"YOUR HIGHNESS, PLEASE LEAVE THE ROOM SO—"

"No."

Gaster looks up at the king in slight surprise. He doesn't argue.

"But!" the child says suddenly and points one hand in the air. They rush over to Gaster and swing their arms around his waist and hug him tightly. Gaster has to close his eyes… He can't believe how honestly bad he feels. Killing humans was never a problem in the war. But this one…

Gaster puts a hand on their head and pats them softly. This is why he hates sentimentality with humans. It's always such a… painful experience. One way or another.

The human then goes to Asgore and hugs him as well. They go back to their spot standing in front of the two and nod.

"Alright, I'm ready." They say.

Gaster steps forward…

"ARE YOU SCARED?"

"Nope! I'm ready to go!" GO they say… Jeez they're sure uh… articulate.

"I PROMISE TO MAKE IT QUICK."

"Thanks. Hey, can I get a countdown?" They smile up at the monster. Gaster shakes his head with exasperation. Are they serious?

"I WONDER ABOUT YOU… FINE."

He begins. The room is so quiet… Even breathing is painful to listen to.

The child closes their eyes.

"FIVE."

"FOUR."

He doesn't finish counting. The child's head rolls and their body falls to its knees and then to the side.

Their yellow soul slowly floats from their torso and Gaster catches it in both hands.

He stares at the scene quietly…

Even in death they're smiling.


	8. Undyne

On the walk home from the castle, Gaster reflects on things.

Asgore almost broke at the sight of the child's body falling onto the garden flowers. It took many minutes of Gaster consoling him to get any coherent words out of him. The first thing he said still gives him conflicting feelings.

"You did it so fast… You promise they didn't feel any pain? Why… were you so good at that just now?"

"I'VE… DONE IT MANY TIMES BEFORE. BUT I SWEAR TO YOU THE CHILD DIDN'T FEEL A THING."

"Is… this why you were introduced to me as Doctor?"

Gaster stayed quiet at the time a little shocked at the directness of the question… In the war as a teenager, Wing Dings Gaster was already studying monster biology and ironically learning to heal. In his studies he found many terrible and helpful things.

The terrible things were ones that he used on the battlefield. He can't remember how many humans he killed with the decapitation method. It was the easiest and fastest way to… dispatch them.

"I SUPPOSE THAT'S A FAIR WAY OF THINKING ABOUT IT."

They'd put the soul into the tank and then they stared at the final empty one. The last human soul.

Gaster left after properly managing to leave the king in what he hopes were higher spirits. What a rotten time for a NICE human to appear, Gaster thinks. Just as their king was getting excited about being active. He supposes Asgore will figure it out though…

The last week of vacation comes and goes. Sans was very upset to hear about the human's death, but was happy at the same time that they proved him right. Humans could be nice. Nice enough to even give them their life for the monsters' freedom.

"I hope if I ever meet a human again, they're nice and we can be friends." Sans had said.

Finally back on the clock for work, Gaster works harder than ever in researching and experimenting. The red liquid extractor finally gets built, but the damn thing doesn't even work. They can't get anything out of the human souls anymore.

Three years pass. Fourteen year old Sans quits school and starts to work at the lab under Gaster. It took a lot of convincing but Sans managed to get in.

Papyrus, six now, is in school and soaking up as much information as he can. But not in the same field as his brother and father. He wants to be a warrior. A ROYAL GUARD! Sans encourages this line of work considering it's been so long since a human's dropped down. He thinks that by the time a human DOES show up, Papyrus will be older and strong enough to defend himself. Gaster on the other hand wishes he would think of another occupation. Like a royal GUARDENER or something less dangerous.

Three more years and still no progress on the red liquid. No progress on breaking the barrier… The only thing that DOES finally get finished at long last is the CORE. The Underground finally has all the power it could ever want. The rare streetlamp, Television and even cell phone service. Gaster has no idea what a CELL PHONE is, but as long as it works then whatever.

It takes a while for Sans to convince him to get one. A bunch of them have been falling in the underground lately through the dump that still work. Gaster thinks they're abominations that humans made to leak radiation or something, but Sans easily disproves it. He reluctantly keeps a cellular device. And he ONLY uses it to contact Sans and Papyrus.

Papyrus is nine now but he's hit a growth spurt and is now slightly taller than seventeen year old Sans.

"We're gonna have to put a brick on your head to keep you from growing so tall Pap!" Sans would say.

"I DON'T GET IT."

"It's just a figure of speech. You know, you put a weight on something to make it stop moving- never mind."

One final year passes and while Sans and Gaster haven't quite given up on the red liquid, they do move on to other things. Anomalies in time and space that they can't quite understand. They're very small and insignificant but it's still interesting. Interesting enough for them to try and build something impossible and extraordinary. Mostly impossible though.

A giant box of a machine that they're trying to make that will allow time and space travel to be possible. If only for a short while or for short distances. It's going rather well!

They decide to keep this a secret to Papyrus. He's got other life goals to strive towards that this silly side project of a machine shouldn't get in the way of.

Gaster takes a few more vacations than he used to. He's kept his promise to be present for his children more often. Sans and Papyrus appreciate it immensely and every day of every vacation is the best day ever, right after the next.

Something interesting happens in this 7th year.

A female fish like monster runs into Gaster one day (literally), while running around in Waterfall.

"Hey—oh jeez, excuse me I didn't mean to-…." The young blue scaled redheaded girl looks up at the much taller Gaster and takes a step back.

"NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE." Gaster starts to walk away after nodding his head in his own quiet apology until the girl grabs his long black sleeve at the hem.

"Wait! Are you Gaster?" She asks loudly. Gaster stops and turns half way to her. He wonders why on earth anyone would GRAB him. Jeez, this girl must be the rough and tumble type…

"THAT WOULD BE ME. AND WHO ARE YOU, MISS…?"

"I'm Undyne. And I got a few questions for you buddy." Her tone says "fight me" but her eyes say "I need answers."

Undyne grips his sleeve tighter and nearly drags him away into a secluded part of waterfall where the water, grass and trees grow. In this secluded dead end, there is a bench and one echo flower.

"I THINK PERHAPS TALKING IN FRONT OF AN ECHO FLOWERS IS MAYBE NOT THE BEST PLACE TO MULL THINGS OVER MISS UNDYNE."

"None of that MISS stuff. Just Undyne! Anyway, I'll just say something else to it when we're done talking, so whatever! Look! I've heard a lot of stuff about you and I gotta know if I can get in on it!"

She puts her hands on her hips toughly and attempts to look down her face at Gaster, but she is… haha. She's pretty short and Gaster towers over her almost exactly twice her size.

"THIS CERTAINLY SOUNDS SUSPICIOUS. I'M NOT SURE THAT /I/ WANT A PART OF WHATEVER IS HAPPENING. 'GET IN ON IT' SOUNDS LIKE HOOLIGAN TALK." Gaster can't hold back an irritated frowns. His overly hyper sons together are quite enough, and he doesn't need this extra kid on his back.

"Just listen alright? I went to the same school as Sans before he quit to work at the lab. Under you right? I noticed a few years ago that his HP went down to one and he never ever got higher hp which I thought was super weird. So I eaves dropped on you and him once and I overheard you two talking about some red crap that you put in him."

Gaster's eyes go a bit wide. No one was ever supposed to know about that. Where the hell would he have talked about such a thing if not in his own home? He would NEVER talk about it outside of his house or the lab. And she certainly wouldn't have gotten in after the lab doors were fixed.

"I can already see that you're wondering where I heard this. Yeah I stood outside of Sans' room on the balcony and listened. Sorry about that. But I'm curious and I couldn't pass up the chance to see what was going on with you weirdos! Can you blame me?"

"THAT'S DISTURBING TO SAY THE LEAST… I'LL ASK YOU NOT TO DO THAT ANYMORE…" Gaster slumps a bit and gives Undyne a lazy glare. It doesn't matter. She heard it and that's that.

"SO WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU SAYING YOU WANT 'IN' ON? THERE WAS NOTHING GLAMOROUS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM TO GET JUST ONE HP…"

"I heard about what happened. That jerk human kid got him good."

"DO PEOPLE HAVE NOTHING TO DO BUT GOSIP?" The aging rubs his face in frustration… But Undyne just chuckles and shakes her head.

"Not really."

"TRUE I GUESS." The two nod at each other a little in in understanding.

"But ANYWAY I was thinking you could give ME sommathat. Gerson's retiring from the Royal Guard and I'm taking his place. And—"

"IMPOSSIBLE. HOW OLD ARE YOU?"

"Hey! Don't insult me old man. I'm seventeen years old! I'm an ADULT."

Gaster grimaces. Yeah, when he was seventeen he thought he was an adult too. Didn't turn out so great.

"EITHER WAY, I AM ABSOLUTELY NOT—" He puts up his hand and gets ready to tell her to drop that idea right this instant. But…

The terrible scientist part of his brain shouts at him to accept. He can't NOT hear it now.

"HM. TELL ME WHY EXACTLY YOU WANT THE RED LIQUID. DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU? IT /HAS/ ONLY BEEN USED ONCE AFTER ALL. YOU MIGHT DIE."

"I need to get stronger! I heard about a couple kids that fell down here whose souls we have now. They were REALLY strong, and our royal guard couldn't keep up. They weren't strong enough. And Gerson's too old to be fighting these days. If another human comes down and they're super strong, /I/ want to be the one to kick their ass and save the underground! I don't know how painful it's gonna be or if I'll die in the process. I have to TRY! Please!" Undyne begins to sound a little desperate. Gaster finally bothers to give her a once over.

Undyne is well built already. It seems she's been training with the old tortoise. Strong arms and broad shoulders, rather skinny he thinks but that's easily fixed with proper routine training. Strong thighs and calves, which he would expect of a fish monster swimming all the time. And her face. Two bright yellow eyes, perked up fins and long red hair in a high pony tail. Some of her bangs are in her face and Gaster supposes she'll have to grow them out. Or at least get some bobby pins. Or is she trying to be casual? He's not very good at young people fashion…. And last but not least, she's got teeth that could scare a baby. But he thinks they fit her just fine…

"YOU'RE ODDLY DETERMINED. A VERY STRANGE CHILD INDEED."

"Seventeen year old ADULT." Undyne says through her sharp uneven teeth as she stomps on the ground a few times. Yes, how adult like of her.

A test subject… A real live test subject. She has a strong will it seems, and is not only willing… but is VOLUNTEERING. But he's never done anything else like what he did to Sans on anyone… If Asgore ever heard of his experimenting on other monsters… He's positive that he'd be fired and never allowed in the lab ever again.

But maybe it's worth the risk.

"DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE A LAB RAT? BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU'LL BE IF YOU INTEND ON GETTING ANYTHING OUT OF THIS 'DEAL.' IT WILL BE PAINFUL AND YOU'LL BE SICK A LOT OF THE TIME FROM WHAT I'VE FOUND OUT SO FAR. YOU MAY EVEN WANT TO DIE BUT I WON'T LET YOU. I'LL FORCE YOU TO STAY AWAKE AND—"

"I don't care about any of that!" Undyne interrupts with a yell.

"Being a lab rat? Forcing me to work hard? That crap is nothing compared to what other monsters are feeling. Being down here is making everyone suffer! I MEAN—dangit, what you did with the CORE is super cool and stuff. Power, heat and air conditioning if we want. TV and microwaves and stuff is really awesome and helpful. But… most of us now have never ever seen the sky. Or anything. We see things in picture books. It's almost a fairy tale that the surface HAS a sky and not a rock ceiling. I'm GOING to help get us outta here with or without your help. But I'd rather do it WITH your help so we can move things along! Don't you think that's a win win?" She folds her arms and Gaster almost laughs when she shifts into a power stance, as if she's going to be intimidating.

"Gerson's trained me a lot! And I've even fought with Asgore! I haven't won yet but someday I AM gonna win. Come on think about all of this! You get a free test subject and /I/ get stronger for the underground! How is that not PERFECT?" Undyne throws her arms around as she speaks and does her best to sound convincing. But there's no need…

Gaster is silent… While morally he knows monster experimentation isn't the best thing he could ever do… the starved scientist in him is clawing at this potential chance of more knowledge. Trial and error and maybe even success… If he succeeds in the plan of making this girl stronger… maybe the Monster Race could be saved. Have a hero to look up to…

"IF YOU DIE, I WON'T BE SAYING ANYTHING TO ANYONE. I'M GOING TO ACT LIKE I NEVER MET YOU. WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO ASSUME ABOUT YOU WHEN YOU SUDDENLY DISAPPEAR?"

"I don't freaking know, I fell into the lava in Hotland or some crap!"

"THERE'S NO WAY A FISH LIKE YOU WOULD GO INTO HOTLAND."

"True… Or WOULD I?"

Gaster slaps his hand to his face and sighs…

"YOU'RE VERY DIFFICULT…. I'M ALREADY WORKING ON SOMETHING ELSE AT THE MOMENT… TAKING YOU ON MAY—"

"Please."

He looks down at Undyne who stares up at him with pleading eyes. She really really wants this. She knows she'll suffer… She wants to take on all the weight of the underground on her shoulders so she can help.

What is he going to do about this?

Undyne stands there for a half an hour in silence with Gaster while he thinks it over. He's already made his choice after ten minutes, but he wanted to see how long the girl would stand there for. Haha.

Finally he sighs and looks directly into her yellow and black eyes.

"FINE. BUT YOU WILL NOT TELL ANYONE ABOUT THIS."

The look on Undyne's face is so hopeful and excited that Gaster almost feels good about this whole situation.

"R-really? You'll really help me get stronger?! I wasn't sure if you were going to agree! WOW! WOWIE THIS IS SO COOL! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'M GONNA HELP THE UNDERGROUND! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She screams, throwing her arms up in the air with excitement. Gaster puts a pinky where his ear would be if he had one and twists.

"AT LEAST YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY ANYTHING ELSE TO THE FLOWER…" He says quietly.

()

Several days later, Gaster sneaks Undyne into the lab and into a testing room. He hooks her up to various machines one at a time to test everything he can about her unaltered physical form… She's perfectly healthy and all is well. But…

"NOW UNDYNE… WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN THE INJECTIONS. I'LL ASK YOU ONE LAST TIME. ARE YOU SURE YOU—"

"I already said yes like a MILLION times man. I'm so stinking ready for this I can't sit still anymore!"

With a small grimace, Gaster goes to a small rolling doctors tray with three syringes half way filled with the red liquid. He grabs one and returns to Undyne who is standing next to a spare bed that Gaster had her move in the room. Next to her are several barf bags and a bowl with cold water in it.

"ALRIGHT UNDYNE. I'M GOING TO INJECT YOUR ARM. PLEASE TALK ME THROUGH AS MUCH AS YOU'RE ABLE TO. EVERYTHING YOU'RE FEELING. PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY. THIS IS ALL VERY IMPORTANT ALRIGHT?"

"You got it. Stick me!" She grins widely, her teeth poking out and holds out her arm.

There is no going back after this. And he hopes Undyne is ready.

He injects the liquid into her arm through the needle and then stands back and watches, unblinking.

Nothing seems to happen at first. All is quiet. Undyne gives Gaster a weird look.

"Jeez, can you not… blink or something? Your staring is freakin' me out."

"SORRY. BUT I WORRY THAT IF I BLINK, I'LL MISS SOMETHING. AND THAT WOULD MAKE THIS ENTIRE THING POINTLESS ON MY PART. NO RESULTS IS A 'BUMMER' AS YOU KIDS SAY NOW."

Undyne snickers a little and then begins to move her arm around.

"Well doc I feel fine. Nothing feels weird."

"GIVE IT A MOMENT. IT TOOK SANS ABOUT THREE MINUTES TO BEGIN SHOWING SIGNS. HE WAS A CHILD THEN AND WEAKER THAN YOU. SO IT MIGHT TAKE LONGER. PERHAPS TEN MINUTES. FIFTEEN MAYBE. BUT—"

Before he can continue what he was saying, Undyne's face begins to look… uncomfortable.

"Uh…" She interrupts. "Yeah so that 'not-feeling-good' thing you mentioned. I'm starting to feel sick to my stomach. A little bit."

Gaster flails a bit and rushes to grab his notebook. He begins to write in his native language. Wing Dings. Normally he writes in Aster, but if someone were to find out exactly what he was doing, he's rather be the only one who can read his notes. He just hopes Sans doesn't find the notes…

"IT'S BEEN THREE MINUTES JUST LIKE BEFORE. KEEP TALKING."

"Uhm… well I mean I can't tell you anything if nothing new is happening… Oh! Oookay. The sickness just got worse. And I kinda feel like I'm getting sweaty. Hot. My hands are starting to get uh… I guess clammy is the right word."

"JUST LIKE BEFORE… HM. Well, minus the clammy hands part. Sans doesn't have skin…"

The two wait for several more minutes until Undyne finally has to bend over a little and put her hands on her knees.

"Right so now I uh… oh boy… I think I'm… gonna barf…" She swings her hand to the side and fails to grab the bag a few times, until finally she grips the paper and quickly brings it to her mouth.

"TRY TO STAND FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN."

"Got it… hup. Here it comes…. Yep… YEP…."

And as Gaster expected, she begins to throw up. A lot. He thinks he may need to gather more bags...

An hour goes by before Undyne's legs start to wobble and she's unable to stand. She sits and rests her head in her hands groaning. She says she's starting to feel pain crawling up her spine and arms. Undyne begins to get the chills and shakes. Gaster covers her up and sits by her bed.

Another hour goes by and he gets a call from Papyrus and Sans.

"YES HELLO?"

"HI DAD!" Papyrus screeches into the receiver. Gaster's used to this by now so he doesn't even bother moving the phone away from his head.

"HELLO PAPYRUS. YOU'RE OUT OF SCHOOL THEN?"

"YEAH! WE LEARNED A LOT OF COOL STUFF TODAY! HEY, TELL SANS TO STOP PICKING ME UP AT SCHOOL! HE'S CRAMPING MY STYLE!"

Sans is heard laughing in the background and saying "WHAT style? Being a super adorable dork?"

"DAD!"

Gaster can't stop a small smile.

"SORRY SON. YOU'RE NOT OLD ENOUGH TO WALK HOME ALONE YET. AT LEAST I'M NOT COMFORTABLE ENOUGH WITH IT YET. SANS WILL JUST HAVE TO CRAMP YOUR STYLE FOR A FEW MORE YEARS AND THEN YOU CAN WALK HOME ALL YOU LIKE."

Undyne gives Gaster a "really?" look and the scientist just shrugs. That's good though that she can maintain her sassy nature. At least for now.

"SO DAD WHERE ARE YOU?"

"I'M AT THE LAB. SOMETHING HAS COME UP AND I HAVE TO STAY OVER NIGHT."

"AW… I WATED YOU TO READ ME A BED TIME STORY TONIGHT…" Poor Papyrus. He sounds so defeated.

"HAVE SANS READ IT TO YOU. I PROMISE I'LL READ ONE TO YOU NEXT TIME ALRIGHT? YOU BELIEVE ME RIGHT?"

"YEAH… BUT SANS SUCKS AT READING STORIES, HE ALWAYS FALLS ASLEEP BEFORE HE FINISHES READING IT!"

"Hey, not EVERY time. I'm just so good at story telling that I put MYSELF to sleep, that's all."

Gaster can practically HEAR the irritated look from Papyrus. He can sense it.

"NO I THINK THAT'S JUST YOU BEING A SUPER BORING PERSON WHO CAN'T STAND THE SUPER AWESOME TALE OF FLUFFY BUNNY."

"NOW NOW. SANS, WHILE I'M GONE FOR THE NIGHT PLEASE TRY NOT TO FALL ASLEEP DURING THE STORY. MAKE SURE—"

"Yeah yeah I got it. Hey Pap gimmie the phone for a second." A rustling noise of the phone changing skeleton hands. Sans talks a bit quieter.

"So what came up anyway? The red liquid? Or the machine? You said you wouldn't work on it without me—"

"NO NO NOT THE MACHINE, DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT. I'M KEEPING MY PROMISE. I CAN'T QUITE TELL YOU YET WHAT CAME UP BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU IT'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. SOMETHING MINOR."

"Not minor enough to allow you to come home…"

"COME NOW, SANS. FINE, IT'S JUST ENOUGH TO KEEP ME HOME. IF I COULD COME HOME I WOULD, YOU KNOW THAT. PLEASE DON'T BE UPSET WITH ME…?"

Sans is quiet on the other line for a bit… then he sighs. "Fine. But I just don't want you falling back into the old routine. I know you haven't for years but… I worry."

"NONSENSE. FRET NOT MY BOY, I'LL BE HOME MAKING SPAGHETTI BEFORE YOU KNOW IT."

"Alright… Welp, speaking of spaghetti, I think I'm gonna let Papyrus try his hand at making it tonight. See how that goes."

"SPLENDID IDEA SANS. HE'LL HAVE TO LEARN TO COOK BY HIMSELF SOMEDAY."

Undyne tried to hold it in, but she leans over the side of the bed and gets ready to barf in another bag.

"WOOPS. I'LL HAVE TO CALL YOU BACK LATER SANS."

"Huh? Yeah sure. Quick, say bye." Gaster can hear Sans putting the phone on what they call "speaker".

"I LOVE YOU BOYS. BE GOOD AND DO YOUR HOMEWORK."

"We Love you too Dad, Bye!" The two say at once, and then both phones are hung up. Gaster quickly puts his phone down and opens a bag for Undyne and he catches the uh… ejection before any harm is done.

Undyne stops hurling into the bag and she lays back on the bed.

"Holy crap this SUCKS doc… this sucks so bad. I hurt everywhere… My body can't decide if it wants to burn or be really cold."

Gaster quickly writes everything down and nods.

"I SEE I SEE. IT SEEMS TO BE STAYING RIGHT IN LINE WITH WHAT HAPPENED TO SANS. SO NOTHING UNUSUAL IS HAPPENING YET." He reaches forward and feels her forehead… A bit hot. With at least some mercy in his heart, Gaster puts a cold cloth on her head.

Undyne looks up at him and stares for a few long seconds before speaking.

"I can't believe you're Sans' and Papyrus' dad… When I first met you, you didn't seem like the fatherly type…"

"YOU LITERALLY MET ME YESTERDAY."

"Details, who needs 'em. But… I dunno hearing you talk to them sorta put it in perspective for me… What you did to Sans with that red liquid… you weren't just being a crazy old man scientist were you?"

Gaster hesitates to answer… is this part of what the liquid is doing to Undyne? Or is this just her being herself?

"You did something crazy to try and save Sans' life. You're actually a loving father."

"DO YOU NORMALLY SAY THIS KIND OF STUFF TO PEOPLE?..."

Undyne thinks for a few seconds… Then shakes her head. "Nope. I feel like I'm getting mushy."

"HM… I LEFT SANS FOR A WHILE, WHILE HE WAS RECOVERING FROM THE ATTACK AND THE INJECTION… PERHAPS WHILE I LEFT HE ALSO HAD THIS REACTION… I'LL HAVE TO ASK HIM." Gaster writes this down.

He really really hopes that what he's doing will be of some use to their people… If this girl gets strong like she wants… then she can protect the Underground and maybe she can help Asgore get rid of the barrier.

Gaster has high hopes for this girl.


	9. Her left eye (optional chptr)

This chapter was a little indulgent of me really. I guess you could say this chapter is optional to read?

The week drags on slowly for both Undyne and Gaster. Undyne recovers much faster than Sans did from the injection. Probably because she's older and stronger. But Gaster writes down that it might just be different for all monsters. He gives her a break and sends her home to waterfall so she can relax properly. And of course during that time Gaster hangs out with his boys. Papyrus gets his stories read to him and Sans gets to work more on that machine with his dad. It all works out and the two don't suspect a thing.

"Dad, look at this. You screwed this in wrong. Hehe. What do you think would happen if we tried using it like this?" Sans says, pointing out a crooked screw inside the machine. It's really just an old elevator that the two have been modifying and transforming, but half of the fun was deconstructing it and putting it back together their way! Gaster leans in to look.

"HM. AN INTERESTING THOUGHT. /WOULD/ THIS SMALL MISTAKE EFECT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN? OR WOULD ALL GO SMOOTHLY? BEST NOT TO TEST THAT THOUGH." He says jokingly. The two chuckle.

Three other scientists approach the two. One cat looking monster, one… giant face coming from the ground looking monster, and a final very short wide eyed monster walk up and stay quiet. Gaster turns and spots them.

"AH HELLO EVERYONE. SANS, I HAVE TO GO FOR A BIT ALRIGHT?"

"Oh yeah?" Sans turns and sees the motley crew of scientists. He doesn't remember ever seeing them before… They're probably trainees and Gaster is the trainer or something. So Sans shrugs and nods.

"Sure thing pops."

"PLEASE DON'T MESS WITH THE MACHINE ALONE. YOU—"

"Never know what could happen, yeah yeah I got it. I was feelin' a break comin' on anyway."

Gaster nods and pats him on the shoulder, then walks off with the three. Sans watches after them though. He got a weird feeling from looking at them all. Their faces were trying to be straight, but he couldn't help the idea that there was something more serious going on… Maybe he's just thinking too much. Oh well.

Off in a side hallway, the four monsters stop and talk under their breaths.

"YOU FOOLS, NOW SANS HAS SEEN YOU. I TOLD YOU TO BE COVERT…" Gaster hisses angrily through his teeth. The three monsters shrink a bit.

"Sorry Doctor, we didn't know how else to get your attention. Are we going to get in trouble?"

Gaster sees that they're all apologetic, so he just takes a deep breath and sighs it out. Relax.

"NO. BUT PLEASE IN THE FUTURE DO TRY TO BE MORE CAREFUL. OUT OF EVERYONE IN THIS LAB, SANS IS THE ONE YOU SHOULD WATCH OUT FOR. HE'S VERY SMART AND PERCEPTIVE. IMPOSSIBLY SO SOMETIMES. A BIT TOO MUCH LIKE ME IN FACT… AVOID HAVING HIM SEE OR HEAR YOU AT ALL COSTS. NOW. YOU ALL KNOW WHY YOU'RE HERE."

The very short wide eyed monster nods.

"Yes sir. We're going to help you with some secret things."

"Wow." Says the pretty-much-all-face monster. "Very good number 1…"

"Oh shush three…"

Gaster assigned all of these new followers with numbers so that if things ever went bad, their real names wouldn't be known. Just numbers on a sheet of paper.

"ENOUGH. THIS NEXT MONDAY, I'LL NEED YOU ALL HERE AT EXACTLY 6 AM. IF YOU ARE LATE… WELL I WILL SHOW NO MERCY. DO YOU ALL UNDERSTAND ME?..."

His dark tone is highly suggestive and… honestly pretty scary. The three followers nod quickly.

"GOOD. I'M GOING TO CONTINUE MY… SIDE PROJECT, AND I NEED YOU ALL TO WATCH. YOU ARE MY EYES AND NOTHING MORE. YOU WILL NOT INTERACT WITH HER. YOU'LL GET ME ITEMS AND THEN LEAVE TO WATCH BEHIND THE GLASS WINDOW I'VE PREPARED. YOU CAN SEE IN, BUT THE GIRL AND I CANNOT SEE YOU. YOU WILL NOT SPEAK TO HER EITHER. IS THIS ALL CLEAR? IF YOU FOLLOW ALL OF THESE RULES, YOU'LL BE PAID REGULARLY. NORMALLY I'D PAY YOU MYSELF, BUT IF SANS NOTICES THE DIFFERENCE IN INCOME, HE'LL SURELY ASK AND I'D RATHER NOT BOTHER EXPLAINING IT. YOU'LL GET YOUR MONEY ONE WAY OR ANOTHER."

The three look at each other and nod.

The little meeting ends and the three of them disperse. Gaster returns to Sans who is writing some stuff down for the machine.

"HEHE. I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO TAKE A BREAK SANS."

"Huh? Oh hi. Yeah I couldn't sit still. You told me not to mess with it so I had to do something else. I came up with a few more equations that might have something to do with the anomalies in space. I dunno why, but space is easier for me to deal with than time. TOGETHER they're a damn nightmare though."

"INTERESTING. LET ME HAVE A LOOK." Gaster leans in and runs his finger along the page as he reads. Sans can't help but stare at his expressions. He tries very hard to act grown up so Gaster will take him seriously, but really he's still just a seventeen year old boy whose dad is the genius of the underground. He wants to impress him and make him proud! To help!

Gaster nods a few times and hums to himself.

"MY GOODNESS THESE ARE COMPLICATED. THEY DIDN'T TEACH YOU THIS IN SCHOOL."

"Nope. I read a bunch of the books we have here at the lab so I could… at least SORTA catch up to you. I can't let you hold my hand the whole way through you know. I gotta get some smarts of my own." He smiles up at his dad and attempts to make it look smug, but he just looks like the awkward teenager he is. Gaster chuckles and rubs Sans' head.

"SILLY BOY… YOU'RE FINE JUST THE WAY YOU ARE. JUST HAVING ANOTHER PAIR OF EYES IS EXTREMELY HELPFUL."

"I wanna help you know? Sitting around like a lazy sack of potatoes is probably the LAST thing I want to do with my life… Anyway uh, who were those three?"

Damn this observant child! Gaster wants to laugh with swelling pride and maybe a little bit of frustration as well. He can't seem to get anything past Sans.

"THE THREE WERE NEW ASSISTANTS. I WAS GIVING THEM AN ORIENTATION. THEY WON'T START FOR A WHILE THOUGH."

"Huh. Thought so."

Phew… bullet dodged.

()

Finally, that next Monday comes and at 6 AM, the three monsters arrive in Gaster's secret hidden room just like they were ordered to. Gaster walks into the experimentation room with Udyne several minutes later.

Undyne doesn't notice a thing.

"Man that was pretty shitty, that stuff."

"LANGUAGE."

"Oh my fu—mph! Whatever. So first of all, I'm sorta surprised that you gave me a break. What if something happened while I was gone and you didn't see it?"

"THEN THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN UNFORTUNATE AND OUT OF MY LINE OF FORESIGHT. A SHAME TO BE SURE. BUT I WAS 87% SURE NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN." Gaster prepares the other two syringes of red liquid and several more barf bags… This experiment may get messy. He just has this feeling…

"87% huh? What did you think the other 13% was?"

"THAT PERHAPS YOU'D BECOME DUST."

"Wow. Thanks for the confidence doc." Undyne takes off her boots and lets her webbed feet feel the coolness of the tile.

"Anyway, I'm ready! What are we doin' today?"

"WELL UNDYNE, TODAY WE'RE GOING TO BE INJECTING YOU WITH ONE SYRINGE OF THE LIQUID. AND THEN ONCE YOU FEEL BETTER, I WILL HAVE YOU /DRINK/ A VIAL OF IT. I CAN ASSUME THAT YOUR BODY WILL ADJUST TO THE SECOND INJECTION FASTER THAN THE FIRST TIME SINCE YOU'VE ALREADY DEALT WITH IT ONCE. HUMANS HAVE A VERY GOOD IMMUNE SYSTEM AND THEY WOULD PROBABLY HAVE NO ISSUES WITH SOMETHING LIKE THIS. THEY HAVE FAR MORE MASS THAN WE DO… BUT EVEN SO, MONSTERS ALSO HAVE AN IMMUNE SYSTEM TO FIGHT OF VARIOUS SICKNESSES, INCLUDING MAGIC SICKNESS. SO SINCE YOUR BODY HAS DEALT WITH THE INJECTION ONCE AND—"

"You're talkin' too much man! I think I get it. I'll do better this time around blah blah blah let's go already!" Undyne sighs loudly.

"YOUR IMPATIENCE IS IRRITATING… YOU HAVE TO HEAR ALL OF THE RULES AND KNOW AT LEAST MOST OF WHAT'S HAPPENING BEFORE CONDUCTING AN EXPERIMENT. YOU CAN'T JUST JUMP IN WILLY NILLY. WHAT IF I WAS GOING TO SAY SOMETHING AMAZINGLY IMPORTANT AND YOU'D JUST INTERRUPTED ME?"

"It must not have been if you're not gonna say it now huh?" Undyne grins at Gaster when he slumps and glares at her.

"PERT LITTLE BRAT… OH WELL. I SUPPOSE IT'S YOUR PERSONALITY… HERE WE GO THEN." Gaster walks up to her and sticks her in the same spot he did last time, and then stands back.

The experiment goes almost identically the same as the other one. She gets sweaty and sick to her stomach and then barfs a bunch. Nothing new there. "Almost" identical, because things are happening quicker than before. While before it took nearly two hours for everything to happen, this time it's happening in just half an hour. Undyne stays standing for much longer, even through her vomiting sessions. She's very resilient and Gaster is beginning to suspect even more now that she's actually capable of pulling this off.

Part of him is beginning to question the idea of making her DRINK the red liquid… injections are slow and smooth sailing through the blood stream, or magic stream depending on the type of monster. But DRINKING it… Ingesting the liquid might be too fast for a monsters boy to handle. This liquid is, after all, from a human soul. Soul… he wonders if he could put the red liquid directly into the souls of monsters. That… eh that's probably not a good idea. If he's second guessing the ingesting part, then the direct-to-soul part is out of the question. But ah, what an interesting thought.

Nine o clock comes and Undyne is doing very well. She's managed to force herself to stand this entire time out of sheer will power.

"WELL UNDYNE, IT'S BEEN EXACTLY THREE HOURS SINCE THE INJECTION. YOU'VE DONE INCREDIBLY AND I'M VERY IMPRESSED. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE A BREAK? I COULD GET YOU SOME WATER IF YOU'D LIKE." Gaster finally looks away from her and down at his notes which he begins to edit and annotate.

With a heavy slump, Undyne sighs with relief at the idea of water. "I'd like that. I still feel sick, but I feel way better than before. I think I could even run laps if I really put my mind to it."

"HEH… NO NEED TO RUSH. YOU'LL BE DOING PHYSICAL TRAINING EVENTUALLY TO TEST HOW THIS IS ALL WORKING OUT FOR YOU. I'LL STEP OUT AND GET YOU SOME WATER THEN. YOU MAY SIT."

Gaster stands up while Undyne plops down on the bed. The three followers behind the glass in the secret room watch and have been writing everything down from their perspective this whole time. Once Gaster leaves Undyne's room, he heads to their room and pops in. He talks quietly.

"I HOPE YOU'RE ALL DOING WELL IN HERE ALSO? DO YOU WANT WATER AS WELL?"

"Th-that's really nice of you… I'd like some please." The first says. The other two nod along with them.

"VERY GOOD. KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON HER WHILE I'M GONE. JUST IN CASE."

"Yes sir." They all say together, and Gaster leaves.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting him to be… well I dunno, nice? Ish?"

"When we first met him he seemed pretty scary. Hehehe… If we were late today I think he would have dusted us…"

"Thrown us right into the CORE I bet."

The three have a small chuckle and then return their gazes to Undyne.

Gaster returns a couple minutes later with water and gives the three followers their drinks and then he returns to Undyne's room with hers.

"DO YOU FEEL ANY BETTER?"

Undyne nods and slams down the water, then puts the cup in the trash can. She stands up and takes several deep breaths and rolls her arms around.

"Yeah, much better. I'm ready for that second dose I think. Hand it over, let's speed this up!"

Undyne holds out a fishy hand and Gaster picks up the vial. The metal sounds of the other sharp tools on the tray echoes in the relatively small room.

"SO EAGER. JUST CALM DOWN. I HAVE THIS SUSPICION THAT YOU WONT BE SO HASTY TO CONTINUE AFTER THIS." He removes the syringe's push mechanism and hands it to her carefully. She takes it, careful not to spill and swigs it like a shot.

The face she makes… Gaster almost laughs, but he resists. Barely.

"AH GOD! This is terrible! Eugh! I've never tasted something so disgusting in my whole damn life!" Her ear fins perk up and twitch with disgust.

"OH GOOD, QUICK, TELL ME WHAT IT TASTES LIKE!" He can't stop an overly excited grin from bursting out.

"You are WAY too happy about this. Blech! Ah-uh-okay it tastes REALLY bitter, oh jeez! Uuuhhh…. Rotting! It tastes like something rotting! Oh my god I thought it would taste like watermelon or cherry or SOMETHING! Anything but this!" Undyne holds the vial out and covers her face with her free hand. Goodness it must really taste terrible! Heh heh.~

Finally the scientist lets out a snerk, unable to contain it.

"WATERMELON OR CHERRY? YOU POOR NAÏVE CHILD." He writes down everything and when Undyne stops complaining, the two stand there and say nothing.

But not for long. Symptoms quickly begin showing up.

A fever shows up and she gets dizzy and light headed. She squints to see straight and Gaster has to pretty much catch her at one point. Her equilibrium seems to be messed up. He lays her down and she starts groaning. Panic starts to set in.

"It hurts… Oh holy shit it's REALLY starting to hurt!"

"WHERE? HOW DOES IT HURT?"

"Just… everywhe—oohhhhhhh shit… Everywhere! My a… my arms… and my chest hurt…. I'm so hot…" She begins to breathe hard and shakily. Gaster wonders if he should… get some ice or something.

"UNDYNE, I'M GOING TO GET YOU SOME MORE WATER AND SOME ICE ALRIGHT?"

"Holy—oh my god hurry the hell up! This is-ooohhh my god!" Undyne starts to panic more. She's never felt this type of pain before. It feels like she's being cooked alive…

Gaster nods and stands up, walking over to the exit. The ice machine is just in the next room so he doesn't bother closing the door behind him when he rushes out. Undyne sits up in the bed, grabbing for a bag and preparing to throw up. But she can only dry heave after all of the vomiting she did before.

She stands up and tries to take deep breaths. But with her balance thrown off, she starts to lean forward. Her hand reaches forward and grabs the tray, but it tips under the pressure.

Gaster walks in just in time to see Undyne and the tray fall down… and a scalpel lodging itself deep into her left eye. He only just manages to close the door behind him when she starts screaming.

It's been a long time, but Gaster remembers how to deal with this sort of injury. He WAS a medical doctor before he became a scientist after all. With quick work, he removes the scalpel and wraps Undyne's eye up. It takes much coaxing to get her to stop screaming. The pain of the second red liquid dose and the eye stabbing on top of that is almost too much for the girl. But Gaster doesn't react too much. He remembers seeing a lot of stuff like this before… It's nothing new to him.

Three more hours later Undyne wakes up from unconsciousness. She isn't sure when she fell asleep.

"AH. HELLO. CAN YOU HEAR ME UNDYNE?" Undyne tries to open her eyes, and feels that her left one has stuff over it… it doesn't hurt? Didn't it hurt before?... She can't remember.

"Uh… yeah. Ah man I ache so bad… What happened? And why is my eye covered up?"

Gaster raises a brow and leans back a little. "YOU DON'T REMEMBER?" He asks a little confused. Undyne shakes her head. But even that hurts. It feels like an earthquake inside of her skull… Her knees hurt and her stomach feels like it's being eaten by acid…

"Nah. What I do remember is that I drank that stuff… and it was super gross. I hurt everywhere and then everything went black."

"VERY INTERESTING. MEMORY LOSS? SHORT TERM AT LEAST… PROBABLY DUE TO THE PAIN AND YOUR BRAIN SIMPLY COULDN'T HANDLE IT. PROCESS IT. VERY WELL… UNDYNE, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT."

His tone isn't a happy one. Undyne thinks it sounds more neutral than anything, but the fact that he would need to say something important after she just learned that a bunch of crap happened and she can't remember scares her a bit.

"WHILE YOU WERE BLACKED OUT, IT SEEMS YOU TRIED TO GET UP WHILE I WAS AWAY. YOU SLIPPED AND FELL, TAKING THE TRAY AND TOOLS WITH YOU… YOU LANDED ON ONE OF THEM." He points to his eye and Undyne gulps… She fell on a tool? On her EYE? She's glad she can't remember what happened then…

"Uh… wow. Okay. That's pretty bad. So… what else?"

"IT'S GONE. I… HAD TO REMOVE IT. IT WAS BEYOND SAVING. AND IT WOULD HAVE JUST HURT YOU MORE IF I'D LEFT IT IN THE WAY IT WAS."

Undyne is quiet. She has to let this sink in. Her left eye is GONE. It's literally out of her head.

"Wow… Can I see it?"

"THE WOUND?"

"No, the eye you dummy." She doesn't appear to be joking though…


	10. don't forget (end?)

In the next month and a half, Gaster goes between experimenting on Undyne and working with Sans on the machine. He has Undyne do hard physical labor to see if it's helping her physically and it CLEARLY is. She's getting much stronger and is able to take more weight and more strain with every passing day. It's miniscule, but it's enough for Gaster and the three followers to notice and jot down. Her missing eye from the accident doesn't hinder her. In fact, she gets an eye patch and often says how cool it is. Gaster wonders if she's fronting so that he won't feel bad. Which is ridiculous because he doesn't feel too bad about it anyway… but thinks it's very kind of her at the same time to consider his feelings. Ironic he thinks.

She's very loud. She yells and screams and gets overly "pumped up". It's a little annoying, but at the same time, she reminds him of Papyrus. So he deals with it.

Sans is very good are remaining hidden. He's caught on that Gaster is up to something behind his back. It's not hard to figure out when he's gone at weird hours in the morning and doesn't show up to work on the machine until 9 AM… He followed Gaster one morning and heard Undyne groaning in pain from the injections. Monster experimentation… Normally he would have busted in and asked what the hell was going on, it sounded like Undyne was more than happy to be doing it. "To get stronger" he hears. If that's what she wants then Sans isn't going to say anything he guesses… She's not dying or anything so it must be fine.

He can't help but think though. Did Gaster want to experiment on Sans too? But didn't because he thought Sans would become dust if he went too far? That would ne noble. He can't stop himself from feeling a little grateful that Undyne took this hit unknowingly for Sans, if that was indeed the case.

Papyrus insists on following Sans to the Lab now and again, and the older brother recalls doing the same thing with Gaster when he was young. Luckily though, when Sans DOES let him in, Papyrus gets bored easily at all the math and science he can't wrap his head around. It's too complicated and there are signs and symbols that he isn't learning in school obviously. Papyrus calls Sans and Gaster "NERDS!" before leaving every time and the two just snicker and wave good bye.

But the two are always mindful to hang out with Papyrus and teach him many things, play with him and read to him. Sans misses the days with Papyrus was clingy and laughed at all of his jokes. He sighs sometimes, fondly remembering. "YOU'RE TOO YOUNG TO BE SIGHING WITH NOSTALGIA, SANS." Gaster would often say to him playfully.

Today feels off to Sans.

He just has his feeling that today was going to be weird.

While the two walk to work after dropping Papyrus off at school, Sans stares at the ground a lot of the time, trying to figure out what could be wrong. Only a tentative hand on the back of his head snaps him out of it.

"SANS MY BOY ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU'VE BEEN EYEING THE GROUND LIKE IT STOLE YOUR MONEY."

"Huh? Oh no no, I'm fine. Today's just… off is all."

"OFF?" Gaster tilts his head a bit and takes his hand back away from Sans' head. "OFF HOW?"

"I dunno, that's what I'm trying to figure out! I probably just slept wrong or something is all."

Sans looks up at his taller dad and gives him a quick smile. A return smile quickly appears on Gaster's face. He nods.

"YOU KNOW, I THINK IF THAT IS THE CASE, IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE EXCITED!"

"Excited…?"

"WHY YES. YOU DO KNOW WHAT TODAY IS DON'T YOU SANS? GOODNESS YOU /MUST/ HAVE SLEPT WRONG IF YOU'VE FORGOTTEN."

The doctor is clearly excited himself, and Sans has to count the calendar days in his head to figure out that today is…

"OH! Oh yeah! Oh man I can't believe I didn't realize! That must be it! We're finally gonna bring that machine to the CORE so we can power it and see if it works!" Sans' face lights up and a huge smile darn near splits his face in half. Gaster swears that the little whites of his eyes turn into stars. He pats Sans' shoulder and picks up the pace a bit.

"YES! I AM QUITE EXCITED MYSELF TO SEE HOW EVERYTHING GOES. WE'LL HAVE TO TEST MANY THINGS WITH IT IF IT WORKS."

"Ah wouldn't it be cool if it could transport MONSTERS around? Maybe we could even transport monsters to the surface so we don't have to mess with that stupid barrier anymore! We could even let the human souls go if that happened right?"

Sans quickly looks up at Gaster who has a neutral thinking expression on.

"HM. WELL IT WOULD CERTAINLY HELP IF WE COULD SIMPLY TRANSPORT MONSTERS TO THE SURFACE, YES… LETTING THE HUMAN SOULS GO THOUGH… I'M NOT REALLY SURE ABOUT THAT. IT'S NOT MY DECISION ANYWAY. ASGORE WOULD HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT. I'D RATHER HIM NOT GET RID OF THEM, JUST IN CASE. BUT PERHAPS SOMEDAY WHEN THEY'VE RUN OUT OF USES WE COULD LET THEM GO."

"Jeez, lighten up dad. You're killin' the vibe. Humor me for five seconds wouldjya?" Sans laughs a little and shoulders Gaster's arm a bit.

"I THINK THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE. I'M NOT VERY…. HUMEROUS IN THE FIRST PLACE.~" He says with a grin, flicking Sans' elbow.

"Gah! Your puns are so old! Just like you I guess." The two chuckle and make more horrible and hilarious puns and jokes all the way to Hotland's Lab. Sans is honestly really proud of his dad. For the jokes of course.

At the lab, Gaster has the three followers move the heavy machine all the way to the CORE. After a while, Gaster had decided to allow Sans to see the three followers. If Sans never saw them again at the lab, he might become suspicious of the "new trainees" and call Gaster out on being fishy. The poor old Doctor still has no idea that Sans knows about his experiments with Undyne. Sans still isn't POSITIVE they're involved, but he figures that's how it is.

"So dad, if this thing actually turns on and works and stuff, what's the first thing you wanna test it on?"

"HM. WELL I THINK WE SHOULD START SMALL. WE DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY IDEA IF IT CAN TRANSPORT MUCH. OF COURSE WE HAVE OUR THEORIES AND EQUATIONS THAT TELL US IT SHOULD BE ABLE TO MOVE SOMETHING RATHER LARGE, BUT SMALLER FIRST IS BETTER. PERHAPS A PEBBLE. OR A PIECE OF PAPER."

"Paper sounds like a good idea. We should draw on it or something and see if it burns the paper up or something." Sans snickers a bit but Gaster can't hold back a concerned noise.

"I THINK IF THE PAPER CATCHES FIRE THEN IT WOULD NOT BE WISE FOR ANYTHING BIGGER TO GO IN IT. WE'D HAVE TO BRING IT BACK AND TWEEK MANY THINGS. IT WOULD BE A REAL SHAME IF—"

"Remember that 'lighten up' thing I said earlier? Jeez, once a scientist always a scientist I guess. Too serious!"

The two use the steam vents to travel to the CORE. Gaster still remembers this path. He followed the yellow souled human this way. And this particular pipe area is where they slipped and fell, nearly dying. Luckily he caught them.

Gaster finds himself taking Sans' hand and carefully leading them both across safely. Sans almost protests and whines "I'm a big boy you know, I don't need you holding my hand." But he guesses it's just his dad's fatherly instincts kicking in. It's kinda nice actually. Although, he can't let it "slide" without saying SOMETHING.

"Hehe. You afraid of heights, pops?"

"I SUPPOSE YOU COULD SAY THAT." Gaster eyes the fall warily. But when he and Sans get to the other side safely, he lets go.

"I REALLY SHOULD PUT IN A REQUEST TO THE KING TO HAVE THIS AREA FIXED FOR EASIER TRAVEL… THIS IS RIDICULOUS."

Eventually the group of scientists get to the hotel and they all take a break in the cooler concrete area.

"Phew. We don't have skin or anything but that place is still hot. I feel bad for monsters with flesh honestly." Sans chuckles and fans himself with his bony hand. Gaster sighs and nods.

"I MUST AGREE."

"You know dad, I always wondered this. Papyrus and I are CLEARLY skeletons. But you look a little more filled in."

"HM. I'M SURPRISED YOU NEVER BROUGHT THIS UP SOONER…" Gaster dares to peek at his son who is very obviously staring at him. He looks forward and then down at his hand. It has a large hole in the center. It's always been like that. Sans watches his dad seem to mull things over in his head…. Did he hit a sore subject? He must have.

"I never cared. No matter what you looked like or what you were, you were always just my dad." He shrugs and pulls his legs up to his chest. "Were you ever sad that Papyrus and I didn't look like you?"

Gaster lets out a bark of laughter suddenly, startling Sans. He looks up at his dad who is now doing his best to keep himself composed.

"YOU SILLY SILLY BOY. NO MATTER WHAT /YOU/ TWO LOOKED LIKE, YOU WERE BOTH MY SONS. I STILL REMEMBER THE FIRST DAYS I HELD EACH OF YOU. YOU WERE VERY SMALL SANS. I ALWAYS WORRIED THAT YOU WOULD BE FRAGILE. PAPYRUS WAS THIN AND TALLER THAN YOU AND I WORRIED HE WOULD HAVE LEG PROBLEMS. I WAS TOO BUSY WORRYING ABOUT MORE IMPORTANT THINGS THAN IF YOU LOOKED LIKE ME. BUT IF SUCH AN ANSWER IS WHAT YOU WANT THEN HERE'S THIS. PAPYRUS GETS HIS HEIGHT AND LONGER FACE FROM ME. YOU LOOK MORE LIKE YOUR M... MOTHER."

Sans can't stop a gulp. Oh he SUPER messed up. But Gaster is still smiling. Fondly, at that. Sans thinks that maybe Gaster isn't looking at HIM really…

"Hey Doc!" One of the scientists calls. Gaster and Sans looks over at the slim cat monster, who nudges his head in the "let's get moving" way.

"I'M AS EAGER AS THE NEXT PERSON TO GET TO THE CORE BUT GOODNESS WE JUST SAT DOWN. I'M GETTING TOO OLD FOR THIS."

"Uhm… I—"

A hand pat and a kiss to the head stops Sans from talking. Sans looks up at his dad worriedly, but Gaster is still smiling with reassurance. He already knows that Sans was going to apologize. But he doesn't want him to. Sometimes memory lane is nice to walk down.

The rest of the way to the CORE through the small boring hotel is taken in mostly silence. Awkward silence for Sans anyway. But along the way through the blue metal walkways, Gaster hangs back away from the other three who are wheeling the machine to their destination.

"DID YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?"

"Huh? About what?" Sans fiddles with the pen he has in his lab coat pocket nervously.

"ABOUT YOUR MOTHER."

"Dad, I… I mean if it bugs you or anything then I really don't think—"

"OH SANS… I APPRECIATE YOUR THOUGHTFULLNESS. BUT IT'S OKAY. AND I KNOW YOU MUST HAVE A HUNDRED QUESTIONS. TRUTHFULLY IT'S MY FAULT FOR NOT SAYING ANYTHING IN THE FIRST PLACE, MEAKLY WAITING FOR YOU TO ASK. A FOOLISH MISTAKE AS A FATHER." Gaster nods to himself.

They all finally make it to the spot where they're going to power the machine and Sans is quick to change the subject.

"I don't think it's your fault at all. But uh… either way I think that maybe we should hold off on this conversation. I know Papyrus will be all over it. I'd feel like a shitty brother for not having him be there. I say we mess with this thing for a bit and then when we get home, Pap and I can bombard you with personal and probably prying questions."

A small chuckle from Gaster.

"I THINK I'D LIKE THAT. BUT YOU'RE RIGHT. YET ANOTHER FOOLISH THING DONE BY ME. WHAT WOULD I DO WITHOUT YOU SANS?"

"Hehe. Well I can think of a few things."

The two smile at each other and then head over to the machine. They take the plug and stuff it into an outlet.

A loud creaking noise catches Sans' ear. It only lasts a second, but when he looks around he doesn't see anything weird. Huh… must just be how things sound around here. No one else is reacting.

The machine is plugged in and everyone stands back.

"Hm… Alright so we're starting with a paper right? Let me just…" Sans takes the test paper from one of the scientists clip boards and draws a very awful picture. It's supposed to be Gaster Sans and Papyrus. But even Sans hardly recognizes who they all are when he's done.

"HUH… DON'T QUIT YOUR DAYJOB." Gaster jokes. Sans laughs a bit and shrugs.

"What can I say, I'm just DRAWFUL at art." He walks over to the machine and sets the paper down.

"Alright, ready to go." Walking back several feet with the others, he and Gaster hold a string that has a button pushing mechanism on the machine and they pull it.

A whirring noise starts up and everyone's eyes slowly get larger. It's working?

Behind all of the buzzing noises Sans can hear another metallic creak. But he thinks nothing of it, too excited about the teleportation/time/space travel machine. They really should have come up with a name for the thing…

There's a flash and everyone covers their eyes. When they open them again, the paper… Isn't gone. It sits there just the way it was before. Sans deflates. He knew that it probably wouldn't work on their first try, but he really got his hopes up.

"Aw, come on… Nothing at all?"

"IT'S NOT TOO SURPRISING. LET'S GIVE IT A FEW EXTRA TWEEKS, MAYBE IT'LL WORK THEN."

"Guess so…."

Gaster sends the three followers off to gather a few tools. In the meantime, Gaster picks up the paper and gives it a once over.

"IT STAYED IN PLACE. DIDN'T EVEN MOVE. THE COLOR IS THE SAME, NO FRAYING OR BURNING… THAT'S A PLUS AT LEAST, ISN'T IT SANS?" He looks back at his son who just has his arms folded, a very clear "I'm thinking" face on.

"You know pops, remember that one screw I found a while ago? Did we ever fix it?"

"SCREW?... OH! AH I CAN'T REMEMBER, LET'S SEE." He searches for the screw and Sans takes a few steps forward to look at the machine better up close. Maybe there was something else that was hindering progress.

"I DOUBT SOMETHING SO SMALL COULD HAVE SUCH AN IMPACT ON THE TEST… OF COURSE IT NEEDS FIXING, BUT I WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW SOMETHING SO TINY COULD STOP THE MACHINE FROM WORKING. IT'S INSIGNIFICANT AND REALLY IS ONLY HOLDING A SMALL PART OF THE MACHINE TOGETHER… AH HERE IT IS. IT LOOKS LIKE WE DIDN'T FIX IT."

"Welp, better do it. Just in case."

The followers return with many tools and Sans fixes the one screw. Gaster walks around the machine a few more times and hums to himself.

"SHALL WE TRY AGAIN?"

"I guess. We should start testing it on smaller and bigger things after this. Maybe it's the size, like we talked about before."

Creeeaaaakkkk.

"Jeez that's annoying. Sounds like a few screws are loose here in the CORE."

"INDEED. I HEARD THE NOISES EARLIER BUT PAID NO MIND. IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S GETTING LOUDER TOO." Gaster looks around, which in hindsight he thinks was foolish. It's probably just echoes from a different part of the CORE

"It's a big structure. Probably just groaning, like the wood of the house does sometimes."

"PRECISELY WHAT I WAS THINKING. ANYWAY, LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN."

Sans walks the twenty feet back to the machine and puts the paper back down and runs back.

The two pull the string. Nothing. Sans curses under his breath… until he sees the paper disappear!?

It disappeared AFTER the machine was finished… charging?

"Dad! DAD! IT DID IT!" Sans smiles hugely and looks up at Gaster with stars in his eyes.

"It really actually did it! That's what was wrong, we weren't actually charging the machine! It just needs a little more power! But where did the paper GO?"

"FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK MY BOY. I'VE SET A POINT B. POINT A IS WHEREVER THE MACHINE IS. MY PLAN ORIGINALLY WAS TO JUST MOVE THIS BEAST INTO THAT ROOM BEHIND OUR HOUSE. ONE LESS THING CLOGGING UP THE LAB SPACE. AND WE COULD JUST WORK ON IT THERE. BUT I SEE THAT IT'LL HAVE TO STAY HERE IN HOTLAND IF IT NEEDS THAT MUCH POWER TO OPERATE IN THE FIRST PLACE."

"Wait so what you're saying is that the paper is at HOME? It's at the house? How did you set a point B?"

"WELL WITH MAGIC OF COURSE. I LINKED MY MAGIC TO THE MACHINE AND TO THAT SPOT IN THE CORNER OF THAT ROOM AT HOME. I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT THROUGH A BIT MORE. I COULD HAVE STAYED HERE WHILE YOU WENT HOME TO SEE IF IT WORKED AND THEN WE WOULD HAVE TALKED OVER THE PHONE… OH WELL." Gaster shrugs and pats Sans on the shoulder a few times.

"BUT EITHER WAY, YOU'RE RIGHT, THE MACHINE WORKED. THE PAPER IS GONE AND AT HOME. OF THIS, I AM CONFIDENT." He smiles down at Sans and puts his arm around his shoulders, giving him a hug.

Sans beams up at his dad, proud of both of them for pulling off this amazing feat of science and possibly space and time travel as they know it.

"Well let's put something else in it! Let's test out more things! There's no way we're gonna stop at just a piece of paper right?" Sans walks over quickly to the machine, pulling out his pen from his lab pocket and—

Crreeeeaaakkkk.

The noise is so loud that everyone stops talking and moving and they all hold completely still… It was disturbingly close. And loud… The tension in the room rises, because it's clear that something is… HORRIBLY wrong right now. NOTHING makes that sound normally…

"I THINK… THAT PERHAPS WE SHOULD—" The metal grate walkway buckles under everyone's feet.

"Oh shit!"

Before anything else can be said a huge section of the walkway, several hundred feet long begins to collapse. If they were to run, they would not make it.

The welded and screwed ends of each section start to fall apart, chunks of metal now falling into the CORE. Everything around them shakes and the sound of metal scraping is ear piercing. The whole area groans and screams under its own weight.

"SANS!" Gaster shouts, getting ready to rush over to his son. Before he can finish his first step, the platform buckles again, tipping and knocking everyone off their feet. The machine tips over and nearly falls on top of Sans.

A final section of walkway falls and throws everything else off balance. The three followers slide off of the metal grate chunk they were standing on before…. They scream as they disappear into the glowing white heat of the CORE…

Gaster is on a slightly less slanted part of the destroyed walkway. He stares down at his followers who disintegrate into nothing… But his thoughts immediately switch to his son. Where is he? There!

Sans holds on with both hands to the grate floor that is just barely attached in its original position.

"SANS! HOLD ON!"

"Well I sure as hell ain't letting GO! Are you okay?"

Curse his son's kindness! Even in this situation…

"I'M ALRIGHT! ARE YOU ABLE TO GET UP AT ALL? SOMEHOW?"

"Uuuuhhhh…" Sans looks around… Nothing. He shakes his head and looks back at Gaster.

"No… D-Dad I… I'm…"

"DON'T BE. I'LL MAKE SURE IT'S ALL ALRIGHT. JUST DON'T MOVE!"

Sans nods and dares a peek down. It's a white abyss, waiting to swallow him up. He quickly looks away and can't stop himself from panicking. Papyrus. His baby brother. Papyrus needs him. He needs their dad. They HAVE to get out of this!

Sans' platform buckles again, nearly catapulting him into the air. His fingers slip out of the grate holes and he flails all of his limbs around, screaming. He only manages to grab onto a thin piece of pipe guard railing. But with no skin to actually GRIP the damn thing, he starts to slip again.

"NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!" Gaster throws out his hand and a purple glowing copy of his hand floats over. But before his hand can reach and grab for his son, the machine the two worked so hard to build tips forward and sends the entire platform falling. It sends vibrations that also send Gaster's platform careening into the whiteness.

Everything slows down. Gaster watches Sans stare death in the face, waiting for what must be a painful death.

If they both die, then Papyrus will be all alone…

He absolutely will NOT let his children suffer when they're so young… Gaster thrusts his hand out again and he grabs Sans around the waist.

Things start getting hotter and hotter.

"DAD?" Sans yells. The hand around him moves up towards the falling machine and he stuffs Sans inside of it.

"DAD NO WAIT!" He screams again. But the look in his father's eyes… He knows.

"DON'T WORRY SON, YOU'LL BE SAFE! I ALREADY KNEW THAT THE MACHINE COULD TRANSPORT LARGER OBJECTS." A second magic hand quickly presses and holds the button. The machine glows with purple magic and Sans stares in utter shock at his dad.

The doctor's face begins to melt on his right side, drooping into his eye.

"BE GOOD." He says with a smile.

"DAD PLEASE NO—"

Sans is cut off. The machine and Sans both disappear. He's safe… His sons are safe.

The only regret Doctor Wingdings Gaster has… is that he wasn't able to watch his sons become adults.

And yet, even as his body melts and his memory starts to fade, the wind and heat whipping and burning his clothes and flesh away… he can smile knowing that he was able to save his child.

The doctor disappears into the CORE.

()

CLANK! GRRRREEEEHHHH—CUNK BUMNT!...

It's dark…. Ugh, he hurts all over…

Sans slowly opens his eyes and stares up at the ceiling of the small lab room behind his home…. The machine took him home. With a gasp, he sits up quickly and looks around. No! His dad isn't here!

"Dad?" He stands up shakily and realizes that the machine is on its back.

"No… No! Take me back! Take me back, I have to save him!" Sans screams at the machine. He presses and holds the button down, but there's no power connected to it.

"No way! No fucking way! No no no!" Sans jumps out of the machine and stares at it. He panics and runs out of the little hidden room into the snow behind his house. Without a second thought he darts as fast as he can to the river person. They're already stationed there.

"Hey! Take me to Hotland RIGHT NOW!" He yells before he even makes it to the boat. The River person looks over at him… and then they look forward. Sans jumps in the boat and the River person goes.

Unfortunately, they go at their normal pace.

"Come on hurry up this is the most important thing in the whole world PLEASE hurry!" In Sans' frustration, he can't feel the energy of the River person… They already know the outcome. Rushing will not help…

FINALLY, an eternity later, they reach Hotland and Sans jumps out of the boat and runs up to the lab faster than he ever has before. He swipes his card and completely ignores the owl secretary as he rushes through to the other side of the lab and out into the second half of Hotland. Some monsters nearby watch the small skeleton run and they wonder if something's happened.

Sans reaches the CORE and sees several monsters gathering around the spot where he and Gaster were standing just minutes ago… He slows down and sees the scene.

A huge area is just gone. The walkways fell and took much of the surrounding support beams with them.

Sans scans the crowd but he doesn't see his dad…

"Oh Sans!" One monster says.

"Thank God you're here. You alright there? Did you see what happened?"

"I….."

"Boy it's a good thing you weren't here when it happened. It looks like everyone's okay, no one got hurt."

"My…..dad…." He says, voice shaking quietly. The monster takes another look back at Sans.

"What'd you say?"

"W.D. Gaster… He fell in. He fell in!"

"Who is that?"

A slow and painful wave creeps up Sans' entire body. Who? What is this moron saying?

"The Royal Scientist you idiot! Doctor Wingdings Gaster? The one who MADE the CORE? He fell in!"

"U-Uh… The name sounds familiar, but I can't put my finger on who he is." The monster backs away from Sans a little, a bit freaked out at the sudden outburst.

"But he fell in you said?... No way. Hey," they whisper to the monster next to them. "Ever heard of W.D. Gaster?"

"I think so? Not sure though. Maybe. Why?"

Sans listens in awe. They don't remember Gaster? That's impossible, he's worked with these exact people on other projects before. EVERYONE knows who Gaster is! He made the thing that gives everyone power and EVERYTHING! How could they not remember him?

He smushes through the other monsters to get closer to see if anything remains. But when he gets up front, the Royal Guards are there to keep everyone away.

"Hey! Did you find anything?! Anything at all from this incident?"

"No…? Are you looking for some research papers? I'm afraid if there were any they would have fallen in."

"No clothing or… anything?" Sans talks quieter and quieter, the wave of terror and fear and sadness slowly overtaking him. The guard shakes their head.

"I'm afraid not. Uhm… are you okay?"

"Do you… know who Gaster is?"

"Gaster? I can't say that I do."

Now the skeleton is quiet. He looks down, his sockets going blank… "I see." Is all he can say. He walks out, bumping into other monsters until he exits the crowd. He walks and walks, through Hotland, through the lobby of the lab, through the first half of Hotland and he walks all the way to waterfall.

This cannot be real. His dad. His dad is gone. He's gone, and the last thing he did was save Sans. Why didn't he notice? Why didn't he take the noises of the CORE more seriously? He had a bad feeling all day and it was because inside he KNEW something horrible was going to happen.

What is he going to do?... What are he and his kid brother going to do without him?

The grief finally crashes into him. Every bone that makes up his body quivers and tingles. He manages to find a small dead end with a bench in Waterfall. But he hardly makes it to the bench before falling to his hands and knees and slowly starts to lose it.

He pants and breathes hard, still unable to accept this BULLSHIT, trying to keep the tears in... But the tears come and he wails. He screams and cries hard, remembering his entire life, every bit that he can with his dad in it.

Every smile and every encouraging word. Every early morning with a yawning Gaster drinking a cup of coffee. As a child, Sans didn't think his prim and proper dad could look so tired and… normal. Just like everyone else with his tired eyes and slight irritation, not being a morning person and all. He'd stretch and pull his turtleneck and black coat on just like everyone else. He'd brush his teeth and trudge his way out of the house.

The times he would scold Sans for not being careful, or to stop rough housing with Papyrus. He always had a very obvious worried face at times like those. But he also had times where he'd relax and flop on the couch. He'd watch tv and occasionally snicker at the ridiculous show.

Everything. Every last bit of it plays in his head.

An hour ago he was having a heart to heart with his dad. Talking to him and joking with him.

And now he was gone. Just like that. In an instant things had changed so drastically…

()

It takes hours for Sans to even get up off of the grass and stand up. Papyrus. He has to get Papyrus. His brother has to know…

So Sans walks to the little school in Snowdin. The rock family lives near it. He walks inside and gets to the person behind the counter where the little sign in/out sheet is.

"Oh my, are you alright?" They ask.

"Yeah uh… I just need to see my brother… Papyrus. It's an… emergency."

"A…Ah. Alright."

Minutes later, Papyrus walks out and sees his big brother sitting on one of the oldest shittiest chairs he's ever seen in the little waiting area. He doesn't look good at all… what on earth could have happened.

"SANS?..." Papyrus says meekly. Sans looks up and over to Papyrus. He manages a small smile. But it's quick and halfhearted.

"Pap… we're goin' home."

"WHAT? WHY? SANS WHAT'S WRONG?"

"…It's dad… He's gone."

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? WE DON'T HAVE A DAD, SANS. YOU BROUGHT ME OUT OF CLASS TO PLAY A JOKE ON ME?"

Sans' eyes widen and he stares at his now angry younger brother. Papyrus doesn't remember Gaster… Papyrus doesn't remember Gaster?

"SANS SAY SOMETHING ALREADY, YOU'RE SCARING ME! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

"You don't… know…" This is wrong. This is so wrong and fucked up! Why is he the only one who remembers? Why has everyone forgotten? Especially PAPYRUS! How can this be? How can this be?!

A million thoughts go through Sans' head. Papyrus doesn't remember. He has no idea what Sans is talking about. So if that's how it is, this must all sound insane to his poor baby brother.

"Uh… Right uh, pop quiz squirt. Who raised you?"

"WHAT IS /WRONG/ WITH YOU? I THINK YOU'RE THE ONE THAT NEEDS TO GO HOME. AND GET SOME SLEEP! /YOU/ RAISED ME YOU NUMBSKULL! I DON'T LIKE THIS QUIZ SANS…"

That's how it is then…

"Heh. Yeah you're probably right bro. Sorry. I musta bumped my head at work or something."

"I'LL SAY…" Papyrus fiddles with his orange stripped sweater, staring warily at his brother who appears to have gone insane in the last couple hours.

Sans stands up from the creaky chair and walks over to Papyrus.

"Sorry if I scared you bro. Can I get a hug before I leave to sleep for a thousand years at home?"

He flashes a bright smile, one that Papyrus' recognizes mostly as regular Sans… But he's acting so strangely. Even HE can see that something is off… He hugs his big brother tightly and gets an equally tight hug back. Sans holds on for what would normally be considered an awkward amount of time, but Papyrus is used to the occasional drawn out hug from his brother. Eventually, Sans lets go and rubs Papyrus' skull.

"Sorry to take you outta class. Hurry back and go learn some stuff. If you don't come back knowing the quadratic formula then I'm lockin' you out." He chuckles and Papyrus flails his arms.

"I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT IS!"

"Better get to it then huh?"

"GAAAH YOU'RE IMPOSSIBLE!" Papyrus rushes off to class, determined to learn this 'quackdrack formuoli' or whatever it was.

Sans on the other hand stands there for several long moments… before finally leaving the school.

So this is really it then. Gaster is gone. Everyone has forgotten him. It all happened so fast…

He gets home and goes inside the room behind the house, just standing there staring at the machine still on its back.

What if HE forgets…? He can't do that.

At the corner of the room he sees a piece of paper. THE piece of paper. With the awful drawing on it. He walks over to it and picks it up, staring at it blankly… Sans can't stop another wave of sadness from crushing him. He holds himself and cries. Harder than he's ever cried in his whole life.

While he cries, he grabs the pen from his pocket and stares at it. Gaster gave him that pen to borrow one day and Sans just never gave it back… He writes on the picture and then cries some more.

And so seventeen year old Sans is left alone with the knowledge that he is the ONLY monster in the entire Underground who knows and remembers Wingdings Gaster, and the responsibility to take care of his younger brother. To make money and provide. To make double his own income to match his dads. To give Papyrus all the love he and his dad gave him combined. Maybe it's best if Papyrus DOESN'T remember… So he doesn't have to share this anguish with Sans.

Part of Sans selfishly wants someone to feel his pain. Someone to talk to. But he can't now… He's utterly alone in this… And he has no choice but to step it up.

The paper with the drawing on it reads…

"*don't forget"


	11. Dark, Darker, yet Darker

It's so quiet. And so loud. What is this? Everything feels so strange. Where are these words coming from?... Are these thoughts? Are these voices coming from elsewhere? Where is this exactly? Is it even "where"? Or is it "when"?

Familiar screams echo all around. But how can that be if it's quiet? Stop… stop screaming.

It's so dark. Or is it bright? It must be darkness. There's nothing to see. How did I get here….

"I"? Who is "I"? I… me… who is me? Who am I?... I'm a monster. A monster. Underground.

I am a monster who lives in the underground. Is where I am right now Underground? What does the Underground look like?... There are others. Who are they? Where are they? Where am I?... Someone please help me…

A lab. What is a lab?... I worked there! That's right. I worked at a lab…. For who?...

I am a monster who lives and works at a lab in the Underground with other monsters.

What was I working for? What was I doing?... I was… I was… experimenting. On someone? How? I was making something. With someone. What was it? Who was it?... They're short. Happy… they were asking questions… I was so proud of them…

My child. My child and I were working on something together. Son. My son… I have two! I have two sons! Happy. Hyper. Loved to learn. Different things though. Ah… my boys…

Wingdings… That's my name. Wingdings… Aster?... Gaster. What did I look like?... Tall…black clothes. "They're slimming okay? Turtle necks are stylish." Unusual thoughts.

I live… Snow. Lots of snow. Snow… Snowdin… I live in Snowdin town. With my sons….

It's so cold here…. Why is it cold?... Why is it so damn dark? Oh… if I'm a monster, then I must have a body… I can't feel anything though. I can't feel my body… Why not?...

Let's think. What do I remember doing?... Working at the lab… My son was asking questions… The machine… Loud creaking noises at the lab… We were working on the machine…. Creak creak creak creak creak creak…. My son was in trouble… We fell, that's right. The path bottomed out. Creak creak creak creak… The machine fell. The machine saved my son. I fell.

I fell. I fell. I fell. I fell. Down? Up? No, down. I fell down. Where? What did I fall into? Is that where I am? I fell into darkness? Can I get out?...

()

After some unknown amount of time, the figure appears. He is but a shadow of what he once was. A glob. A figure. A shell. He's melting eternally but never losing mass. It's too dark to see anything.

Wingdings Gaster floats weightlessly in the void. He simultaneously feels pain and nothing at all. He can't describe it. In fact it's hard to think straight in the first place. It takes him a long… "time" to even grasp that he exists.

There is no concept of time…. And yet it feels like days before something flashes. Color. Shapes. Something like a memory flashes in front of Gaster like a tv getting bad reception. He looks at it slowly. It doesn't make any sense, but the scene looks familiar. Like home…

His house! He more or less sits up from his back float position and somehow drifts over to the scene. When he reaches out, the scene surrounds Gaster but it all looks unclear and salt and peppery… But it's still his house for sure. It's messier than he recalls… Was it always like that maybe? Someone walks in the door. A tall man who for a long time he can't recognize. A red scarf… a silly outfit… he's very loud and… Gaster can't seem to understand a word he's saying… Is he perhaps complaining about the mess? He's a skeleton, Gaster observes… Hmm… Why is this skeleton in his house? He looks oddly like Papyrus and it weirds him out…. Ah, Papyrus. That was one of his sons' names! How could he forget something so important?...

The flash goes away and darkness envelopes Gaster once again. It takes a long time for another flash to happen. He glides over to that glimpse into the outside world and reaches for it. And just as before, the scene surrounds him.

It's Snowdin. Outside of the small bar and grill, the oldest son is having a snowball fight with several of the other children. He seems very young. He gets hurt and cries for a while. And Gaster is not there. The other children make fun of him until Sans stands up and tackles one of them. Part of Gaster is proud, and the other part is worried. Why isn't HE there? This is… is this the past? The future? Time…. He can't remember.

This repeats several times. Looks into the past, watching Sans (ah that was his name) study hard in his bedroom on science mumbo jumbo. Times where he cried because he felt alone, and times where he laughed and made everyone else laugh. He watched Papyrus fight and lose against another familiar face. A scaly blue one with red hair. He can't put his finger on what her name is.

He sees other things too… But Gaster has ONLY seen things in the Underground. Never the surface. He wonders why that is.

Gaster realizes after many scenes, that he seems to be flickering in and out of time and space randomly. Some of these scenes scare him. Make him angry. Emotion is something that is slowly returning to him. How long has he been here dammit?... It feels like… like decades have gone by already…

He watches his sons grow up this way… Two very different monsters. Sans, the outward jester who has many friends and acquaintances, and yet alone he studies hard on something. He goes to the lab in the back of the house often to dabble (and sometimes kick) the machine they made together, checks the drawers and looks at papers of something that Gaster cannot see. And then Papyrus who has learned that the only way to get attention is to be loud. But he's a very positive boy and is able to see good in everyone. Sometimes he falters and gets depressed… But a lot of the time he's able to pull through. And if he can't on his own, Sans is there to cheer him up.

Gaster notices that he doesn't see the two working together on things a lot. It's a rare occurrence which he finds strange. Through these scenes, he can recall many memories. Some of which include that Papyrus used to be very clingy to Sans. Always wanting to be involved in whatever his big brother was doing. Why has this changed?

He also notices that no one seems to remember him… A scene flashes where Sans is asking monsters in the lab if they remember who Gaster is. And everyone says no. The sadness on his sons face is devastating. The blue tears he sheds make Gaster sick to what should be his stomach. Sans is the only one who remembers him.

Another scene. Gaster notices he can move around in this one. A new development.

Sans is in the secret lab behind the house, opening the drawers there.

Gaster floats over to him and looks at his face. He's very sad… and looking down at the papers Gaster couldn't see before. So he looks.

It's the terrible picture that Sans drew on that final day. He's written "don't forget" on it.

"OH SANS… I'M SO SORRY… I WANT TO COME HOME. I WANT TO COME HOME… THE MACHINE… TRY THE MACHINE."

Sans quickly looks up and around… Did… Did Sans hear him somehow?

"SANS?" Several moments pass by before Sans looks back at the picture and stares hard… Then a grin slowly creeps its way onto his face.

"You know…" Sans says.

"I can't tell if I'm goin' crazy or what. But… old man if that's you, then I think I heard you. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Oh merciful gods, Sans heard him? A little at least? How NOW? Why? What's different about this time? Gaster swings his arms wildly!

"SANS! SANS YES IT'S ME! IT WAS ME!"

"Uh… I mean I… Well, if you're REALLY there, then try talking to me again." Sans says. Gaster musters all his might to yell and move and flail about.

"I'M HERE! I'M RIGHT HERE MY BOY! I'VE BEEN WATCHING YOU ALL THIS TIME, BUT I'M STILL HERE, I DON'T KNOW WHERE—"

"Heh… Guess I really am goin' crazy…" To Sans, only silence responded. He looks down at the paper and sluggishly puts it back in the drawer.

Gatser can feel his heart sink.

"NO! NO SANS YOU'RE /NOT/ CRAZY! I'M RIGHT HERE, OH PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! YOU JUST HEARD ME A MOMENT AGO, YOU'RE NOT CRAZY! I'M RIGHT—"

The scene closes and dark tendrils cover it up like a curtain made of nightmares. It takes Gaster away from his son…

"NO PLEASE! MY SON! I HAVE TO KEEP TRYING! HE HEARD ME! HE HEARD ME!" Gaster screams into the void as the last bit of Sans' sad face disappears into darkness.

All is quiet again. Alone in the abyss. Gaster clutches his hands to his chest and resists the urge to cry… This CANNOT be happening. It keeps getting worse. Without him… so many things have changed. The IMPORTANT things.

Time in this space is infinite. It is looping and also not looping all at once. The unbearable loneliness is crushing. The constant feeling of falling and floating makes him sick and it makes him angry. Why can't he hold still? Why? Why?! WHY?!

He just wants to be with his boys again…

Gaster would quit his job at the lab to be with them.

This darkness…

Gaster would dust someone to be with them.

Why does it feel like it's growing?

Gaster would let the entire Underground burn to be with them.

Gaster would murder every man woman and child to be with them.

Gaster would destroy the Earth to be with them.

Gaster would defy time and space to be with them.

Every moment that passes, Gaster feels like he's losing his mind more and more. He knows that these are horrible thoughts. They're the worst thoughts that he could genuinely feel. But he wants out so bad. He wants Sans and Papyrus to smile at him again. Oh God he just wants to hug his children! Any fate outside of this hell would be merciful. Any torture a monster can endure would be better than this…

A scene glows behind Gaster. It's the only thing that knocks the scientist from his spiral of maddening thoughts. Ah, temporary release. At least for now, he'll have to settle for these… THINGS that allow him to see AYTHING.

He floats over and reaches out…

Things… things change a lot after this.

The scene flickers forward many times, like a skipping cd.

The Ruin doors open. Could the queen be returning?... No, it's… God it's a human child! The last one the underground needs! Kill them! Kill them! Kill them! KILL THEM! KILL THEM! KILL THEM! KILL THEM!

The human with their blue and fuchsia stripped shirt walk around the underground, talking to some of the Froggit's and Whimsum's. And yet at the same time, they will kill some of them.

Sans! Sans appears, finally! Kill the child! GET THEIR SOUL BOY!

But he only greats them with a god-awful joke. Why is he being nice to them? They're a killer!

Gaster watches the child go through the forest, killing some and not others. Papyrus! Ah his boy is so tall! His outfit is ridiculous, but he can faintly recall a flash where he saw the two making that thing. It also seems that Sans never got his growth spurt. He wonders if Sans is sad about that. Haha.

Many puzzles, the human goes through them. They fight Papyrus, but they spare him. Gaster sighs with relief. He recalls his thoughts from earlier. Letting the underground burn just to be with them. For now, seeing his boys escape death will have to do.

They fight and don't fight. Fight and don't fight. Until they reach the end. Asgore! Ah Asgore. It's been a while since a flash has shown the King.

Gaster misses his friend… He misses that furry fool with too big a heart…

During this incredibly long scene, Gaster notices that this tiny yellow flower has been quite a nuisance… He watches the human walk around and follows them, disappearing when the human turns and almost sees him.

The flower kills King Asgore. Gaster's heart hurts and he has to look away for a moment. The flower turns into a beast and kills the human several times. And yet….

The child does not die. Their soul pieces itself back together!... Could this be what Gaster was working on in the lab? This perseverance?

The child beats the flower… and then things go black. But he can hear a phone ringing. He can hear Sans' voice. Sans talks to the human and tells them that all the human souls have gone missing… Papyrus shows up next. Goodness he's loud. But it doesn't matter. It's his son's voices….

Undyne. She takes the phone next. Undyne… Undyne…? Oh... OH! OH! She's the one that was being experimented on before all of this!

A flash and the scene ends…. That was the longest one Gaster has ever seen. But God it was glorious. Finally, something other than darkness in front of him like blindness.

More time passes. Gaster can feel his physical form deteriorating. More glob like now. He doesn't have feet. His hands have detached from his arms… His arms are gone. That's just freaking great. No arms!

Another scene! Ah yes! Reach!

Gaster wishes he didn't reach out for this one…

The human is here yet again. They slaughter everyone. Papyrus tells the human they can be good if they try harder. And yet the human dusts him with one shot. His skull falls into his own body's dust.

"NO! NO PAPYRUS!" Gaster screams. He stares at his youngest child's dust in horror.

"I CERTAINLY WASN'T EXPECTING THAT…" Papyrus manages to say… before completely fading.

Gaster feels like throwing up. His son… his son was just… murdered. The child… Wait… They're the SAME child from before. How can that be? Are they… looping through time as well?

Yet something like that is at the back of his mind. He screams and cries over Papyrus' dust, trying to conjure up any magic he can so he can rip that human apart one bone slowly at a time.

"Pap? Hey Pap, where are ya?" Sans… No. He can't see this! No no no no no!

And yet, he does. Gaster watches Sans stand far away from the dust. He refuses to believe it… But after a long time, he walks over. The red scarf is proof. Sans reacts much in the way that Gaster did. The old scientist can only sit next to his son in spirit while he wails and mourns the last member of his family. Gaster didn't know he could feel so much emptier. More anguish than he was feeling in the void. His own heart break felt awful. But watching Sans suffer, alone… He wishes for just a second that he could go back into darkness and never see that again.

The child kills everyone. Everyone in their path. Gaster follows them right alongside Sans. Until they reach the last corridor.

They are LV 19. Gaster looks at Sans and… recognizes this disturbing calm. He remembers that growing up, when Sans was REALLY mad, he would stay quiet. He would stay still. Acting calm.

But he's a time bomb.

He fights the human. And he kills them. But they return… How? Sans kills them. They return? This brat! How are they doing this? The human lasts for a bit longer. Sans kills them. They return.

This cycle repeats and the human lasts longer and longer each time. At a certain point, Gaster notices that Sans is using… How… How?! He's using the blasters that Gaster made many many years ago! Sans is strong enough to use them? So many! So often! This is amazing! There's no way Sans could possibly lose!

But with only 1 HP… Finally the human lasts for the longest time and survives. Sans keeps them from moving by not using his turn up. But he falls asleep. The human moves slowly.

"SANS! SANS WAKE UP YOU DOLT, THE HUMAN IS MOVING! THEY'RE GOING TO KILL YOU, PLEASE SANS WAKE UP! PLEASE OH GODS NO NO PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!" Gaster begs. He goes to touch Sans, but he phases through him. It feels weird and static-y, like his hand had gone to sleep.

The human child gets to their fight option and swing. Sans moves.

"Did you really think I'd stand there and—" They slice him. All of his HP goes down. 99999999? Where the HELL did he get all that health from?

"Papyrus… Do you want anything?" Are his last words before walking away and falling to the ground, dust plumping out of his hoody.

While the human walks on like nothing just happened, Gaster goes over to the dust. It shouldn't be this way… It can't possibly be this way. This is NOT REAL. This must all be a piece of his imagination. He's going insane! Yes that's it, he's going insane from being in the void for so long!...

That has to be it right?...

"SANS?" He says quietly. Maybe if he imagines hard enough, the dust will reform and Sans will be standing there again….

But nothing happens.

This is torture. This is absolute unbridled torture. He's going to lose his mind… Gaster can feel his physical form fall away in despair. He feels sick. He wants to stop seeing. He wants to stop hearing.

The darkness is better than this. The void is better than watching his children suffer and then be murdered. Gaster can't take this much longer.

()

And yet, for what seems like years, he watches this scene a million more times. A million different ways. Different outcomes. Everything begins to blend together into a collage of colors and shapes. For the first thirty times he watched, he screamed and yelled and flailed as loudly as he could so that maybe he could at least HINT to his sons that there was danger. What to do next. The next thirty, he shouts angrily. How could they be so foolish?! How could they let this human do this to them? How can they not realize that time is looping?

A hundred times. Five hundred times. Five thousand times…

Gaster has relived his entire life a million times. He's seen it all. Every mistake he made, every lie that anyone has told, every whisper that the echo flowers heard. Every life born and destroyed over and over again.

His emotions drain slowly. It's becoming hard to… feel. Pity, sympathy, anger, sadness. It's all disappearing… It's the only way he can save what's left of himself. He must become emotionless if he wants to survive for much longer, or risk dying while going insane.

Is this what he deserves for the war? Is this his punishment? Retribution, atonement? What cruel God could do something this terrible?

Gaster begins to make a habit of whispering to himself to fill in the silence… The silence is one of the worst parts of this place. So he talks. Whispers. Formulas. He repeats everything everyone says from start to finish of some scenes. He counts the letters of the alphabet and makes everyone's words into numbers. "8-5-12-12-15" for "Hello." He translates everything he's ever heard said into Wingdings. He draws in the air and uses what's left of his imagination to create something new. But it's never new. Gaster is beginning to forget what he knows and doesn't know.

A scene appears. Gaster wonders if he should even bother. He's not feeling up to it… And yet, when he sees it's a grey room with nothing in it, he feels compelled. Has he seen this before? No, he'd remember something as unusual as an empty grey room. So he goes to it. The flash surrounds him. He's in a room.

"HOW ODD… BUT IT'S SO RELAXING. IF I COULD STILL EAT OR SLEEP I THINK I WOULD TAKE A NAP RIGHT HERE… BUT DO I DARE CLOSE MY EYES?" Gaster goops forward until he reaches the center of the small room. How peculiar… There's a door ahead of him. Why is this room important? Why is it only just showing up? Has something happened perhaps that's changed the course of things?

While he thinks, he sees the human child coming through the door. They stop and look at something ahead of them… then take several steps forward towards him. There must be something behind him. But suddenly the human reaches out and puts a small hand on him. HE FEELS. A HAND. ON HIM. He looks down and gasps. The feeling alone was terrifying and new. How?...

The flash starts to disappear around him. How did… how could… Everything goes black. Back into the void. How has this happened? The child TOUCHED him. And he FELT it for real!...

Gaster can't help the purple tears that flow from his sockets. Just that one simple touch was so overwhelming for someone who can now not feel a single thing. He hopes… that he can phase into that piece of time and space again. Maybe someday… he can…

He cries silently into his hands…

Does he DARE think of escape? He's thought about it before but it always ends with Gaster just becoming more and more sad. Escape from this place is impossible. And yet he can't stop the idea.

Escape…

That would be so very nice. Highly improbable… but nice.


	12. Reaching out (VERY long Not the end)

(WARNING: I indulged…. A lot… And I have literally ZERO regrets about anything. At this point I'm writing to make myself happy. Just thought I'd let you wonderful people know!)

Flashes happen often now. Sometimes they let him in to be surrounded, and sometimes they're like a TV screen. He wonders how much of this is even real…

Although he still can't get the human out of his mind. That time that they put their hand on Gaster's person, he FELT it. It was amazing. It was almost painful… Being deprived of such a simple sense for so long made him sensitive and hyper aware. But for one glorious second, he felt something…

Gaster thinks he may be going mad. Sometimes during the flashes, he'll laugh when something awful happens to someone. "HOW COULD THEY NOT SEE THAT COMING?" he'd say between cackles.

A happy flash finally presents itself to the decaying doctor. Sans and Papyrus are making snowmen in the forest. They're not his little boys anymore. They're grown men… Papyrus makes a very beautiful "Snow Papyrus" and "NYEHEHE!"s over it loudly and proudly. Sans on the other hand just makes a lump and writes his name in it with ketchup. Interesting… Sans used to love making snowmen.

It's miniscule, but Gaster has begun to notice things changing with Sans' personality. Before Gaster disappeared, Sans was lively and excitable. But slowly he's been wanting to do less and less. Putting less effort into just about everything. Gaster thought that maybe he wasn't feeling well. But if he puts the timeline together in his head correctly, Sans has been acting this way for several months now.

He wonders… This is just conjecture, but through these unusual loops and time bullshittery, the human has been underground many many times. And Sans didn't start acting this way until after the human showed up…

Is it actually possible that Sans is feeling the weight of time looping? Why would it only affect him…? Then again, he still doesn't know why only Sans remembers him. Could it be that because Sans was so close to the CORE without dying, its magic tampered with his?

"SANS, WHY WON'T YOU BUILD A PROPER SNOWMAN?" Papyrus says, stomping several times. Sans just chuckles and shrugs.

"Well obviously it's to make your snowman look way cooler than mine."

Papyrus beams and poses.

"SANS HOW NOBLE OF YOU! TRULY YOUR SACRIFICE WAS FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF SNOWMAN KIND." Pap looks over at his brother who sits on his short legs, staring at the snow. Or rather, to the spot in the middle of their snowmen. He also notices that Sans has a ketchup stain on his sleeve. Sigh.

"SANS? WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT?"

"Huh? Oh nothin'. Hey, so it's almost time for your shift. We should get outta here." Sans stands up and pats the snow off of himself. Then with a grin, he looks up at Papyrus.

"Race ya."

And of course Pap is right on that. He runs off up the slope and laughs.

"YOU'LL NEVER WIN SANS!"

And he was right. Sans doesn't even budge after Papyrus rushes off. He looks at the empty spot in the snow again.

With one hand, he raises a lot of snow up with his blue magic and slowly begins to build a snowman.

Gaster watches with growing wonder. Of course he's seen Sans fight the human, so he knows that his son is very good at controlling his magic. But he's ONLY seen him fight with his magic for a very very long time. So seeing his son use his magic on something as delicate as snow impresses him a bit… He also notices that the spot Sans is building on is where Gaster used to build his own snowman…

Sans finishes his creation. It's Gaster before he fell in the core. He's tall and has his arms and legs the way they used to look. The clothes are so detailed. Gaster wonders if that's what he really looked like before all of this. He looks at Sans who smiles for a second, proud at his work. But when he looks at Gaster's smiling snowman face, he frowns.

"Man… why do I do this crap to myself old man? Why can't I just let you go? All this stupid garbage is happening and… I know that you'd know what to do. You always did." He laughs a little and hugs himself, gripping his hoody tightly.

"I can't… fix it. I've tried so hard dad. I brought it to the CORE a bunch of times and I've tweaked it and I rewrote all the formulas and equations, but nothing I do can even make it create static… Isn't there some other way? Are you even ALIVE? Am I chasing this crazy dream that you're still out there?" Sans says, his grip slowly tightening…

Gaster stares with wide eyes…

"Dad… I'm so… scared that you're really dead. That I'm going crazy… I've been through so many loops and I'm still no closer to understanding anything."

"LOOPS…" So it's true. Sans IS aware of the time anomaly. And he's been living a similar life to Gaster. Seeing the same things for what feels like eternity… How did things get so messed up? Even without him there Sans is going through the same exact thing! He never wanted this… He never ever wanted this for his son…

Should he have saved him back then? Maybe if they both- NO. What a disgusting thought! Papyrus would have been alone not knowing anything…

And yet… Gaster can't stop thinking of all those possible outcomes. Papyrus alone at just nine years old with no family. But would he have memories or not?

"I'm scared, dad… Heh. I never thought I'd say that… I'm scared that I'll be stuck like this forever… What am I supposed to do old man?" Sans says, looking up at the snowman.

His father's smiling face gives Sans a shiver.

"Man, screw this. I gotta get outta here." He holds out his left hand and begins to deconstruct the sculpture. If he's going to keep up the charade of being normal, he can't let anyone see him making a snowman of a person that doesn't exist… So he takes it apart bit by bit. Until he gets to the head.

He remains quiet for several minutes.

"I'm not stopping. I'm gonna keep trying. Even if I am just goin' nuts and you're dead, I'm going to try. If you're out there, you'd better be waiting for me…" The snowman head crumbles and Sans walks away.

Gaster stares without blinking at this entire scene. He's not even sure what to think or say. He feels conflicted about that whole thing. Is he proud of Sans? Or is he sad that Sans can't get on with his own life because of him?... But the idea that Sans might be able to get him out of here… just the IDEA gets Gaster thinking. He has to find a way to communicate with his son. To tell him he's still here. Wherever "here" is exactly… But how can he do that?...

An incalculable amount of time passes in darkness and mostly silence for Gaster. A scene surrounds him finally. It's the lab that no one is allowed in anymore. Where this "Alphys" woman has created amalgamations of monsters with her experiments. She used the blueprints for his extraction machine and actually got enough of the red liquid that she named "DETERMINATION" to conduct monster experimentation. It seems the life of a royal scientist is ill fated.

Gaster goes down the halls and grimaces at the awful lighting. The cobwebs and grime growing in places grosses him out. And yet it's nice to be going down the familiar halls again. Along the walls are screens where the other scientists would make notes. They light up as Gaster passes like they normally would…

Now THAT is interesting. The screens ACTUALLY detect his presence?... He wonders why THAT is. But either way, it fills him with a little bit of hope.

He gets all the way to his office. Even the path there looks more abandoned than the other parts of the lab. His office looks like it's been ransacked. He wonders why. Why not just look through the files normally? Whatever…

Next to his desk is a screen. It lights up. He didn't write anything down on it normally so it pretty much was always blank.

He wonders.

Gaster goes to the machine and holds his hand out. A holographic keyboard appears. His one good eye widens with shock.

"HOW CAN THIS BE? HOW IS IT DETECTING ME?... IS IT BECAUSE THIS IS MY OFFICE? IS THERE STILL SOME OF MY MAGIC HERE SOMEHOW? ENOUGH THAT THE MACHINE SEES THAT IT'S ME?"

He cannot waist time. He must think of something to write. If he can get something down on the screen and somehow lead Sans to the office, he'll see that he's NOT crazy! Oh this is amazing! God he hopes this is really happening! After much thinking, he types. Normally he'd write a very direct note. But instead he goes with a crazy riddle. He's not sure why he chose THIS to write, but he thinks it might be because he wants to challenge Sans. Why at a time like this? Even he doesn't know.

"DARK, DARKER, YET DARKER. THE DARKNESS KEEPS GROWING. THE SHADOWS CUTTING DEEPER. PHOTON READINGSS NEGATIVE. THIS NEXT EXPERIMENT SEEMS VERY VERY INTERESTING… WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK?" Gaster leans back from the holographic keyboard and confirms his entry.

He actually did something. Gaster actually made his mark on the world for the first time in who knows how long! This is amazing! Ah if only he could FEEL the keys of a normal keyboard on his fingers… Maybe with this note… he'll be able to get out of here.

Now all he has to do is wait for the proper time scene to appear and he can lead Sans to his note somehow! Hopefully he can interact with the environment just like this time. That would be so nice…

Ah… He's getting his hopes up… Should he?

"WHAT IF THIS IS ALL ONE GREAT BIG FOLLY?... OH PLEASE LET THIS WORK…" Gaster begs silently as the darkness takes him once more…

()

It feels like years go by… Gaster had hoped that after he typed that message, he'd find the correct scene to get his son's attention. But it doesn't come. One or two scenes appear the whole time. It's been an especially dark "black out" this time. Black out. That's what he's named the times where almost nothing happens. And this black out SUCKS…. Gaster wonders if this one is going to last forever. Just to spite him.

And yet finally FINALLY a glowing scene appears and embraces him. The sudden brightness hurts his eyes. He thinks….

Snowdin. Just in front of the house! Ah it's good to finally see something. What time is it… the correct time? Maybe?

"SANS! PICK UP YOUR SOCK!" Gaster hears from inside the house. Sans' response is too quiet to hear through the door. But obviously it was "okay". Because Papyrus shouts "RIGHT NOW SANS!"

Gosh his youngest is loud. How he misses it, compared to the silence of the void.

Sans teleports outside of the house and walks west. No doubt heading for Grillby's. Gaster can see that Sans has a familiar ketchup stain on his sleeve… Oh god. This IS the right time scene! This must be just a day or two after the snowman scene! This is it! THIS IS IT.

Gaster floats quickly ahead of Sans and prays to whatever Gods there may be that this works.

He dips his finger in the snow and draws an arrow to the east.

Sans sighs as he walks. Man Papyrus just will NOT let go of that damn sock will he? Hehe. Oh well. It's fun to bother him with it som-…..

When Sans looks down, an arrow appears to be being drawn by no one.

"What the hell?" He says quietly to himself. SANS SEES IT! HE SEES IT OH THANK HEAVENS THANK HEAVENS! Gaster goes to write something, but he can't. Only arrows. Did this scene only allow him to draw one thing? IT DOESN'T MATTER. He can draw arrows all damn day if he has to! And so he does. He draws another arrow closer to Sans. The short skeleton backs up a little and steps out of the way. Gaster draws another one.

"Uh…." Sans looks around. Nothing is out of the ordinary.

"Is it talking to me?..." Another arrow appears a bit further ahead. Sans takes a second look around.

"Wow. Guess it is. Uh… alright then. I guess I don't have anything else to do for a while. Lead the way, weird arrow things." He says to the ground.

Gaster almost lets out a squeal. This is unbelievable! THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE! IT'S REALLY HAPPENING! One step closer! To SOMETHING! SOMETHING! He draws arrows faster and Sans has to speed walk to catch up.

"Heh, jeez slow down there bud, I got short legs. Where are you taking me anyways, mystery arrow person?"

They get to the Snowdin/Waterfall border and there's no more snow to draw in. But there is dirt. Which—YES he can draw in that too! Thank god. He draws and draws and draws these arrows throughout Waterfall.

"Wow we're goin' pretty far. You playin' a game with me or somethin'? Cuz uh, even though I say I don't have anything to do, I kinda have to get to work eventually or Undyne's gonna get super mad at me."

No no no! Gaster draws the arrows harder, making them deeper and darker in the dirt. Sans raises his brows a bit.

"Huh. Alright alright jeez, I ain't leavin'." Finally through Waterfall, they go to Hotland. This part is a bit harder to guide Sans through, seeing as how the vents are… Well, not dirt.

But Sans keeps up splendidly. If there's really no dirt to draw in, Gaster will tap the pipes. Which is another insane thing, Gaster thinks. He can actually tap the surfaces of other things. It's almost like he's a ghost. Which honestly is a huge huge HUGE step up from not existing at all.

The lab appears. Sans looks up at the sign and back down at the last arrow, question in his eyes.

"You led me to the lab?"

"YES YOU SILLY BOY GO INSIDE! GO INSIDE!" Gaster draws several more arrows pointing at the door. Sans seems to get it.

"Inside the lab… Uh… Alright then. You're sorta weirding me out honestly." More arrows, deeper, thicker.

"Alright, you REALLY need me to go in the lab. Fine fine." Sans steps up to the doors and they slide open. It's weird to be back inside the lab. On rare occasions, he would visit Alphys and have a little chat about nothing in particular. He still remembers Alphys' face when he started writing down complicated math that was beyond even her. Heh… It was weird having someone realize you're not an aloof idiot all the time.

The giant screen glitches out, regaining Sans' attention. It's glitching really hard. Sans walks over to it… and can hear a faint garbled horrifying voice. It sounds like screaming and begging. He can't make out any of the words… because there are none really.

"SANS YES YES YOU'RE DOING SO WELL MY BOY! HURRY HURRY!" Gaster floats to the elevator and it opens. Sans watches the TV stop glitching the frig out and then is startled by the sound of the opening door….. Nobody knows what that elevator does anymore besides him and Alphys…. (Alphys doesn't KNOW he knows, but that's beside the point.)

The elevator that leads down into the true lab…

"How did you…." It suddenly starts to hit Sans in waves. Something he can't see lead him here. The TV screaming quietly at him and now the elevator that nobody knows about is open….. Sans' bones tingle violently. Could this… be?

"Dad?" Sans whispers to himself… He power walks to the elevator and steps inside. His stomach is in knots right now. If this is Gaster….

If this is Gaster then he….

Oh god please be him. Please please please please please PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BE HIM!

Gaster watches Sans realize slowly and get nervous and he can't help but laugh aloud. Sans knows! Sans can feel that it's him!

As usual the elevator takes an eon and a half to go down. The second it stops and the doors open, Gaster zooms out and goes to the nearest screen, waving his hand by it and making it blink. Sans walks out and sees. He quickly starts to run after every screen that Gaster lights up along the way.

"Oh my god, oh my god oh my god oh my god!" Sans chants to himself. IS THIS REAL RIGHT NOW? He knows this path. It's the one that Gaster walked very specifically to get to his office faster. Sans doesn't even need Gaster to light the screens up now.

"YES YES YES! HE KNOWS!" Gaster laughs with excitement. Sans bolts as fast as his short boney legs will allow and he slides to a stop in his slippers in front of a door. It's across the hall from a very old daycare room…

This is Gaster's office… Inside the room, the screen blinks.

"Holy shit holy shit holy shit!" Sans grabs the handle and tries to open it but it's locked.

"Get the HELL OUTTA THE WAY." He says through gritted teeth. Blue magic encases the door handle and vibrates it violently until it unlocks. Sans steps inside and looks around.

He's so sick. With excitement and adrenaline! Every bone in his body burns. He walks up to the monitor and opens up the entry.

It's all in Wingdings and Sans can read it perfectly…

"'What do you two think?'…. Oh my god… Dad… Dad it's…" Sans shakes and his voice cracks. Gaster just stands next to him and watches. He wants to scream he's so happy!

"Dad, you lead me here? Oh my god you—you really actually…. Where are you? No-No no, this is enough. Just THIS is enough to let me know… You're somewhere! Ha! Haha! You jerk, you wrote in your stupid riddle tone and everything! You couldn't go 'Hey Sans' or something? Ah man… ah man!" Sans grabs his head and just stares with wide eyed wonder and awe.

Gaster agrees. But either way Sans got the idea. Maybe he can alter the text while he's still here? He reaches forward and the keyboard appears in front of Sans. The short skeleton gasps! He knows HE didn't do that!

"Dad?"

Gaster backspaces and deletes everything and then types…

"HEY SANS OR SOMETHING."

Sans gasps again… and then lets out the breath with laughter.

"I can't believe this…. You're really here. You're here somewhere! You probably don't have long right?... Where are you? What is 'dark darker yet darker' supposed to mean?"

"I AM IN DARKNESS. EVERYWHERE AND NOWHERE. ALL THE TIME."

Sans can't even believe this right now. His dad is talking to him through the screen. He's REALLY TALKING TO HIM… This is mind blowing and Sans almost can't take it. But he knows he has to talk quickly just in case something happens where he can't speak to his father anymore…

"What? So… you're in a dark place?"

"NO… JUST DARKNESS. THE VOID. I DON'T EXIST."

Sans grimaces. He doesn't exist? That would make sense. No one knew who he was before. So to them he didn't exist….

"Dad, I mean… what can I do? Can I help you at ALL?"

Gaster pauses a second…. He hadn't thought that far ahead. He just wanted to get Sans' attention. And boy has he gotten it! He's not sure how much time he has left so even though he wants to stay here forever, he should probably make this snappy.

"I'M NOT SURE." Gaster types quickly. "I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT THE MACHINE NOT WORKING. THAT'S UNFORTUNATE. TRY SOMETHING ELSE. SOMETHING HERE IN THE LAB MAYBE. SANS LISTEN TO ME—" He runs out of room. DANGIT. Gaster backspaces when Sans is done reading and continues.

"I LOVE YOU AND PAPYRUS SO MUCH. YOU TWO MEAN EVERYTHING TO ME. I'VE WATCHED YOU TWO GROW UP THROUGH VISIONS. I'VE SEEN HOW THE HUMAN CHILD CAN LOOP TIME. YOU'RE NOT ALONE. I'M ALWAYS THERE WATCHING."

Sans can't contain his giant smile. He thinks he's going to cry to be honest.

"Dad… you've always been here then… You actually know about the kid? I can't believe it…" As Sans talks, Gaster backspaces and types more.

"I KNOW EVERYTHING. I'VE SEEN ALMOST EVERYTHING THERE IS TO OFFER FROM THE UNDERGROUND… I JUST THOUGHT OF SOMETHING."

"Something?"

"A VERY VERY LONG TIME AGO FOR ME, I WENT INTO A GRAY ROOM. THE CHILD CAME IN. BEHIND THEM I COULD SEE WATERFALL. THEY CAME UP TO ME AND TOUCHED ME."

Gaster watches the expression on Sans' face shift.

"They WHAT?"

"THEY SAW ME. AND THEY FELT ME. I WAS THERE. I HAD PHASED INTO EXISTANCE FOR A SINGLE MOMENT. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S THE HUMAN OR WHAT. THAT DOOR WAS NEVER IN WATERFALL BEFORE."

"Like… like space time had a weird blip… That kid must have had SOMETHING to do with it…. Right? Do you have any magic at all in the void?"

"I CAN'T REMEMBER. I THINK MAYBE? IF I DO IT DOESN'T WORK. EITHER WAY SANS, I HAD TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YOU WEREN'T CRAZY. I'M ALWAYS HERE… I KNOW THIS IS SELFISH OF ME…. BUT SANS PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP."

"Dad… No way. After this? There's no damn way I'm giving up after actually… seeing this! You're actually here…" Sans touches the monitor softly. He still can't believe this is real… His dad who only HE knew existed all this time is talking to him… Sans can tell that Gaster's changed a lot because of being in that "void" place. He's being more curt and straight forward. But he knows that he can't blame him. Looping through time like Sans has been… He knows at least some of what Gaster feels.

Gaster sighs with relief. He thinks he feels just a small bit normal…

And of course just as he gets that feeling, behind him the darkness starts to close in slowly.

"OH GOD NO… NO NOT YET!" Gaster shouts at the darkness. He types furiously.

"SANS, IT'S CLOSING. THE DARKNESS IS COMING BACK. I HAD TO TELL YOU THAT YOU WERE RIGHT. AND THAT I LOVE YOU AND PAPYRUS MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER KNOW."

Sans is knocked out of his happy place as he reads.

"What? It's closing? No no dad please don't leave yet!" His eyes are wide, feeling the same terrified feeling he did as he and Gaster were falling into the CORE.

"PLEASE SANS PLEASE BRING ME HOME! I'M BEGGING YOU PLEASE FIND SOMETHING TO GET ME BACK!"

Gaster is BEGGING…. Sans doesn't know if his 1HP soul can take this for much longer. He puts his hands on either side of the screen and shouts.

"Dad I PROMISE I'll get you back somehow! I SWEAR!"

"PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLE"

Gaster's hands can't make the keyboard work anymore. The Darkness is crawling up his body and over his hands. Sans chokes up at his poor fathers pleading text. He can tell that Gaster's gone now...

Through the small window of light that's left, Gaster watches Sans hold himself tightly and hold back tears.

"I swear… I swear dad I'll keep trying. I'll get you home somehow…. Do you trust me?" Something Gaster would say often…

The old scientist can only give a small chuckle.

"I TRUST YOU WITH MY LIFE YOU SILLY BOY…"

Sans seems to have heard him… with some difficulty, but he swears he could hear the words. He has to do it. He HAS to get Gaster back. Now that he knows he's alive for real, there is NOTHING that's going to get in the way of saving his dad…

()

()

Sans decides that he'll follow the human around more. Gaster said the human went into a gray door somewhere in Waterfall and saw him and TOUCHED him even. So maybe if he follows them around more he'll catch them using the door. Luckily in the past he's already teleported his Snowdin sentry station to there and also Hotland so he can keep an eye on the kid, so they won't be suspicious of Sans' presence.

He goes through about five resets when something feels off. Sans has been following the kid more of course. They just talked to him and then walked further west to progress. He follows them silently.

Something is off about this section. There's an extra fifty or so feet of rock wall that wasn't there before. And in the middle of the wall is… that gray door! "Wow" He thinks. "I didn't expect to see the thing so soon."

Sans watches carefully as the kid goes up to the door. They go inside. Sans teleports forward and hides behind the door, slowly peaking in.

It takes his breath away.

Inside is an empty gray room. The kid is walking forward and in front of them is…

In front of them is the most terrifying looking black glob… It looks like it's melting. Like tar. In front of it float two hands with holes… Sans squints a little and he recognizes them. Gaster's hands had holes in the palms… Is this thing… his dad? Sans looks up a bit more and he sees… Oh god.

Gaster's face is melted almost completely on one side, covering up most of his right eye. The once thin cracks on his face have widened significantly. There is no torso or legs or anything. Gaster's clothes have melted together and the only distinguishing feature is his white turtle neck.

Sans can feel his heart breaking slowly. This is what falling into the CORE and void did to him. This is what Gaster gets for saving Sans. He can't believe this. His poor poor dad didn't deserve this. This life is NOT what he was supposed to live. Melted into a goopy globy shell of his former self… Sans feels sick…

The human walks up to the goopy scientist and they seem to say something. Gaster says something back, but his words don't come out normally. They sound distorted and garbled like he's choking on liquid. Sans thinks he recognizes it as his native language of "Wingdings" for which he's named after. But he can't pick up any words being said. It's too messed up. The human obviously is confused as well, tilting their head.

Gaster realizes that the kid probably doesn't understand him and his face slumps sadly. Has he forgotten how to speak in Aster? The human reaches out and touches him. Gaster gasps and seems to lean back quickly from shock, and slowly disappears. Back into the void Sans assumes.

He leans away from the door and stares at the ground in stunned silence. That thing was his dad… This is so messed up… He feels so awful and terrible for all of this. But at least now he knows more about the door…

()

()

Several resets later, the door appears again and Sans is on that crap so fast he almost teleports and smashes his face into the door. Which wouldn't have been good for his 1 HP and all. But he peeks into the open door again where the child is back inside. Gaster is there again too.

Sans watches the kid intently. But he also finds himself staring at Gaster. He hasn't seen his dad in years… and finally after all this time here he is. He's really standing there, even if he is goopy… It fills Sans with joy. He really is standing there.

This time the kid leaves the room without scaring Gaster off. They exit the door and Sans hides. Once they walk to the west, Sans teleports to the door and grabs the handle and swings the door open.

But behind it is just the rock wall. Sans gasps and then looks at his hand. The doorknob is gone. The door is gone.

Just like that.

He didn't even blink… Dammit. He was so close… He's getting closer though! Sans wonders what would happen if he went inside of the room before the door closes. Would HE disappear? Or would he be an anchor and keep the room there? Would risking it be worth it? He does still have Papyrus to worry about after all… So many damn questions.

Gaster mentioned that Sans should try to work with something at the lab, since their little elevator teleportation machine refuses to work now. So… he guesses he should go to the lab and look around some more.

()

Sans makes it to the lab and teleports down into the true lab. He's careful to avoid Alphys if she passes, and is super careful to avoid the amalgamates too. They're freaking everywhere. The poor miserable creatures…

The determination extraction machine pops out to Sans. Would this thing even work? He doubts it… Gaster made it JUST for extraction from human souls. Alright what else is here that Alphys maybe hasn't messed with?

Sans recalls that as he and Gaster were falling, Gaster mentioned that he already knew that the teleportation machine could transport larger objects than they had theorized. Gaster already knew so much, but he wanted to entertain Sans' enthusiasm… He wanted to allow Sans to think for himself and figure stuff out alone. Sans can't help but chuckle at himself for being a damn fool. Of course his dad already knew… He knew everything…

Then he thinks "Dad specifically told me to look somewhere in the lab for something else… Did he know then too? That maybe something would go wrong with the machine and he'd have to counteract whatever it was? Why would he say that though instead of being direct? Curse Gaster for speaking in riddles! But Sans is determined to find something… Maybe in the office itself.

He makes his way to the office and opens the now unlocked door and goes inside. He looks around, opening file cabinets and looking through every single file. While he doesn't find anything helpful, Sans DOES find something interesting. Sad, but interesting anyway.

Inside the folder are pictures that the family took over the years. Some of them are from Sans when he was just a baby bones. He took pictures of Papyrus walking and climbing on things dangerously. You know, instead of helping him and making sure he didn't crack his tiny baby skull open.

Some of the pictures are just the two of them smiling at the camera and Sans pointing to something in the background. He begins to find a pattern… The pictures with random empty spots… Those are the places Gaster used to be pictured. He's just gone now. Like he was never there.

Sans puts the pictures back in the folder sadly. Why did things turn out so messed up? Either way, he continues looking through the files.

And finally, after an hour of searching he finds a single folder labeled "magic". It's weirdly thick. Like there's a bulge or something.

"What do you mean just 'magic' old man? You never name a file something like that…" Normally the files have things like "prjct 29- AaB11" or some other mumbo jumbo as the title.

Sans goes to Gaster's desk and chair and plops down. The cushion is flat from the old man sitting in it for so long.

He opens up the folder and inside is a small vial and a single letter, thankfully written in Aster. Some parts are crossed out. But they're still just barely legible. It reads:

"I HAVE THIS SNEAKING SUSPICION THAT SOMETHING MAY HAPPEN TO ME SOME DAY. AFTER ALL I AM A SCIENTIST WHO WORKS WITH VERY STRANGE THINGS AND DOES STRANGE EXPERIMENTS. I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN OR WHEN, BUT… MY SONS NEED ME AND I NEED THEM. I CAN'T LEAVE THEM ALONE WITHOUT SOMETHING. SOMETHING TO HELP THEM. I HAVE TO GIVE MYSELF A BIT OF INSURANCE I SUPPOSE. I'M NOT EVEN SURE IF THIS WILL DO ANYONE ANY GOOD, BUT IT JUST MAY. INCLUDED IN THIS FOLDER IS A VIAL OF MY MAGIC. IN THE SMALL MANILLA PACKAGE IS A PIECE OF MY HAND. THE HOLES IN MY PALMS CHIP AWAY OCCASIONALLY. I WONDER IF THEY'LL GROW SO LARGE I WON'T HAVE HANDS ANYMORE. INTERESTING THOUGHT. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY IF I HAVE ALREADY GONE AND SOMEONE FINDS THIS, PLEASE I BEG YOU, TAKE CARE OF MY CHILDREN. THEY MEAN MORE TO ME THAN ANYONE WOULD EVER UNDERSTAND. THEY ARE MY WORLD. GIVE MY DUST TO THEM. BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONLY THING I TRULY CARE ABOUT IN THIS WRETCHED MOUNTAIN. THEY'VE TAUGHT ME SO MUCH AND GIVEN ME SO MUCH HOPE.

FOR THE FUTURE OF THE UNDERGROUND.

WINGDINGS GASTER."

Sans stands there gripping the paper tightly. Gaster cared about him and Papyrus so much he even did something like this… He gulps and takes a deep breath and looks past the paper into the folder. Indeed, tapped to the folder is the vial of purple magic. Sans is amazed that it's still there in the first place. He sets that aside on the desk and then grabs the manila package and opens it. The bone fragment is not there. Did it disintegrate over the years? Or did it just cease to be just like Gaster when he fell into the CORE?...

Either way, Sans actually has some of Gaster's magic. What can he do with this magic that might help him?

Out of nowhere, a thought slams into Sans like a bulldozer.

The crooked screw that they fixed on the elevator teleportation machine…

Why would such a thought impact him so much?... He just has this feeling. Gaster said years ago that in order to make something teleport in the machine, he put a point B in their house. With his magic.

What if Sans uses Gaster's magic on the machine? Could he repower it and… Hm… Point A is the machine itself. Point B is the back room.

Sans decides he needs to make a point C. Gaster and his magic will be two point C's.

"That's it… that's it!" Sans stands up and almost knocks the rolling chair on its back. He grips the vial and teleports all the way back home in just one go and rushes to the back of the house.

"SANS?" Sans stops in his snowy tracks, hearing his brother.

"Yeah Pap, what's up?" He says as calmly as possible. Papyrus walks around the house and sees Sans stuffing something in his pockets.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING BACK HERE? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE AT WORK! AND WHAT HAVE YOU GOT IN YOUR POCKET?" Papyrus squints and points at the suspicious hoody pocket. Sans just shrugs.

"Don't you worry about it bro. Don't you have to go see Undyne or something?"

Papyrus leans back, seeming offended. He gives Sans a determined look and takes several steps towards him.

"SANS, YOU MAY THINK I DON'T NOTICE THINGS, BUT I DO. AND I HAVE BEEN NOTICING THAT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS YOU'VE BEEN ACTING STRANGELY. IT'S… IT'S BEGINNING TO SCARE ME SANS. WON'T YOU PLEASE TALK TO ME?" Pap fiddles with his gloves and watches Sans' expression darken…

Sans has tried explaining things to Papyrus three times. The first several RESETS, Sans would explain everything that happened to Papyrus, but the younger brother simply wouldn't listen or didn't believe him. So Sans gave up trying to convince his brother that anything was wrong. Why bother if it's just going to be reset?

Still, seeing Papyrus worry over him makes him a little sad. Inner sigh. He's not going to remember anyway, so he might as well have a talk with his brother. For no other reason than maybe talking it through will give Sans a better idea of what he's getting into.

"Sure. We'll have a talk." Sans says quietly. Papyrus' eyes light up and he smiles widely.

"PERFECT! I SHALL CANCEL MY PLANS WITH UNDYNE!"

"What?" Sans looks up at Papyrus with some shock. Papyrus is actually going to CANCEL PLANS WITH UNDYNE to have a talk with him?...

"WHAT WHAT?"

"Uh… I mean… isn't Undyne gonna be mad or something?"

"HM… I THINK SHE'LL UNDERSTAND! LET ME MAKE THE CALL. PLEASE GO SIT INSIDE!"

"No."

"NO?" Papyrus says as if he's been slapped. Sans doesn't budge and his eyes go completely black.

"We're gonna talk in here." He thumbs backwards towards the door that leads into the hidden room. Papyrus' eyes go wide. He FINALLY gets to go inside? Sans has NEVER let him go inside before. Sans HIMSELF doesn't go in there very often. At least that Papyrus sees anyway.

"OH UHM… ALRIGHT." Pap turns around and takes out his phone, dialing Undyne and blabbing for a quick second. He turns to Sans and nods, putting his hands on his own hips.

"ALRIGHT! I AM READY FOR THE FAMILY TALK! BUT BROTHER, WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO DO IT IN THIS… PLACE HERE?" Papyrus asks, pointing to the door.

"Well bro, because it has pretty much everything to do with what I'm gonna talk to you about."

Sans walks to the door and takes a silver key out of his shorts pocket and unlocks it. Papyrus walks up close, and when Sans opens the door, he's amazed to see stairs leading down. A basement? A secret BASEMENT? It's almost like those horror comic books Papyrus has read!

Sans leads the way down twelve steps. Papyrus follows and when they finally enter the secret room, he's amazed to see that it looks nothing like the interior of their house. The floor is tiled and the paint on the walls are a periwinkle color. To the left are four pull out metal drawers and what seems to be a counter with some blueprints on it. But the more interesting part of the room is the giant rectangle in the other corner of the room covered up by a purple blanket.

"WOWIE! THIS PLACE IS… NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING! WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS?"

"Well Pap, feel free to take a look around." He wants to see if his younger brother can recall anything. Anything at all… Sans fiddles with the vial in his pocket. While he wants to get on with writing down some new formulas for that point C he thought of earlier, he does want to see what his brother can recall if anything.

Papyrus hums to himself and he starts to look in the drawers. He wants to save the giant covered thing for last! So he opens up the first one and inside is a picture of… Sans. With many people that Papyrus doesn't recognize. He looks happy.

"WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE SANS? WHERE ARE YOU IN THIS?" Papyrus looks at Sans, but his big brother doesn't respond. He takes the hint and just goes to the next drawer. There's a badge. Pap takes it out and reads it. It's got a picture of Sans in the corner making a silly face and on the other side of the badge are a bunch of facts about Sans. His height, weight, species, and an emergency contact number. The top is labeled "RS Assistant".

"WHAT?... THE ROYAL SCIENTISTS' ASSISTANT? THAT'S WHAT YOU DID AT THE LAB FOR WORK? BUT ALPHYS IS YOUNGER THAN YOU, SHE COULDN'T- SO WHO WAS THE SCIENTIST BEFORE HER I WONDER?" Papyrus is mostly talking to himself, but he silently hopes Sans might actually say something. He doesn't.

The third drawer contain blueprints. They're written in symbols that Papyrus can't read. Who on earth wrote in such a language? How strange. It goes right over his head and he puts the blueprints back quickly. More blueprints in the fourth drawer. The picture drawn in white ink looks like the inside of an elevator.

"SANS I DON'T UNDERSTAND." He looks to his brother who walks to the first drawer and digs deeper.

"I know you don't, Paps." Sans pulls out a thin photo album and hands it to Papyrus. The younger brother takes it and sees a piece of paper sticking out of the top. He pulls it out and stares. It's a terribly drawn picture of three monsters smiling. Clearly the people are Sans Papyrus and a third monster.

"WHO'S THIS PERSON HERE? SANS, WE CAN'T HAVE A FAMILY TALK IF YOU DON'T ACTUALLY TALK YOU KNOW! PLEASE EXPLAIN, YOU'RE STARTING TO SCARE ME."

Sans lets out a sigh.

"Well bro, remember that time a really long time ago where I came to your school and was acting weird?"

"HOW COULD I FORGET? IT WAS VERY UNUSUAL AND UNLIKE YOU… WHAT ABOUT IT?"

"It was that day that… you and I lost someone very important to us. That's who the third person is."

Papyrus' eyes widen a little. How could he forget losing someone important to them? Papyrus NEVER forgets a face! He looks back at the paper and squints. In the corner of the paper are some words clearly written by Sans. "don't forget."

"And I've been trying to get him back. Our… Our dad. He's out there Papyrus. And I think I know how to get him back."

"OUR DAD? THIS PERSON HERE IS OUR DAD THEN?... IF THIS IS ALL TRUE THEN WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER HIM?"

"I've thought about that a lot. But I think it's because you weren't there. Thank god."

Papyrus stares at his brother and is slowly staring to wonder if maybe Sans is just going insane. That something is seriously wrong with him! Maybe after quitting his job at the lab he's gone crazy… And maybe he created this "dad" person to cope or something?

"SANS HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON?... DO YOU… NEED TO SEE A DOCTOR?"

Pap faces his brother straight on and stares down at him with worry. He watches Sans' face go blank.

"Pap, I love you bro, but this is why we don't have 'family talks'. You never ever believe me. And that's fine."

"SANS…"

"Because I know what's real. I know so many things that you couldn't even begin to comprehend."

Papyrus gulps. It's incredibly rare that Sans will speak in a scolding tone towards him… Could Sans be telling the truth about this "dad" figure? Is it actually possible that Papyrus just doesn't remember?

"MAYBE… IF THIS PERSON REALLY IS OUR… 'DAD' THEN WHAT IS HIS NAME? WHERE IS HE? WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?"

"His name is Wingdings Gaster. We were working on that thing at the lab when the entire floor gave out. Dad fell into the CORE and saved me with that." Sans looks at the covered up machine and Papyrus follows his gaze. The taller brother walks over to the machine and grabs the blanket… He looks at Sans to make sure it was alright to uncover it and gets a nod of approval. Papyrus yanks the blanket away and there stands a broken elevator.

"I was the only one who survived the fall because of dad… I quit my job at the lab because it gets really hard to work at a place where your own father died you know? So after dad fell I… I didn't want to give up on making the machine work. Make it work like a time machine instead of a teleportation machine. So that maybe I could jump back in time and save everyone."

"SANS… IF HE FELL INTO THE CORE THEN HE'S DEAD. AND THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS TIME TRAVEL. RIGHT?"

Sans outright laughs at that and it startles Papyrus.

"Oh Pap. I'd explain it all to you again, but you won't remember anyway. Also, dad's ALIVE."

"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE."

"It isn't though. He talked to me. He led me all the way to the lab and to his office and we actually talked. Well, I talked and he typed. Dad's in something called the 'void' and it pretty much means he doesn't exist in this world. Or that he's spread throughout all of space and time. Complicated stuff that even I'm not 100% on. I'm working on it though. Because while I was in dad's office, I found some of his magic. And a note. Wanna read it for proof?"

Sans pulls out his hands from his pockets. One hand with the vial of purple swirling magic and the other hand with the note Gaster wrote. Papyrus stares at the objects in complete shock. Sans was telling the truth. He reaches and takes the note and reads it.

"TAKE CARE OF MY CHILDREN THEY MEAN MORE TO ME THAN ANYONE WOULD EVER UNDERSTAND. THEY ARE MY WORLD. GIVE MY DUST TO THEM. BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONLY THING I TRULY CARE ABOUT IN THIS WRETCHED MOUNTAIN. THEY'VE TAUGHT ME SO MUCH AND GIVEN ME SO MUCH HOPE? Wingdings Gaster?" Papyrus says out loud. His hands begin to shake a little and he re-reads the note several times before looking up at Sans. His expression has softened and Papyrus can tell that this is real.

"THEN WHY… WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER? HOW COULD I NOT REMEMBER? SANS PLEASE HELP ME UNDERSTAND! IF THIS MAN LOVED US SO MUCH THEN WHY CAN'T I RECALL A SINGLE THING ABOUT HIM?"

"Don't feel bad Pap. Everyone forgot who he was. Everyone all at once but me. I'm the only one who remembers anything."

"HOW CAN THIS BE?! I CAN'T REMEMBER HIS FACE. AND THIS DRAWING IS TERRIBLE! I CAN'T TELL AT ALL WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE!" Papyrus flings his hands in the air and Sans thinks for a second…

"I got it. I'll show you."

"WHAT?"

Sans puts the vial in his pocket, not daring to set it down in this room and part with it. He holds out his free hand and smiles. Papyrus looks at it… then reaches forward and takes it. Everything becomes cold and the two find themselves at their old snowman making spot.

"WHAT?" Papyrus repeats. Oh! Sans teleported them… This is probably even rarer than Sans working and not falling asleep on the job!

"WOWIE. I CAN'T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME YOU DID THAT WITH ME."

"I can. It was a long time ago. But watch closely. This is what our dad used to look like."

The past tense is not lost on Papyrus… He watches Sans work the snow gently with his blue magic and he forms it rather quickly. A tall slim figure with broad shoulders and a happy smile. Papyrus can't put his finger on exactly what emotion he's feeling right now… but he thinks it's fondness.

"Does he look familiar to you at all Pap?"

"NO… BUT… I CAN FEEL IT IN MY SOUL THAT THIS PERSON WAS AT LEAST INVOLVED IN MY LIFE SOMEHOW. I FEEL SAD. SAD THAT I CAN'T REMEMBER HIM, AND SAD THAT HE'S GONE. I'M SAD THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO CREATE THIS SNOWDAD FOR US IN SUCH DETAIL BUT I STILL CAN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING SPECIFIC ABOUT HIM. I JUST FEEL AWFUL…" He pauses for several moments, thinking about something.

"I… I REMEMBER THAT DAY AT SCHOOL WHEN YOU ASKED WHO RAISED ME. AND OF COURSE THE ANSWER WAS YOU. YOU WERE ALWAYS THE ONE WHO WAS THERE FOR ME. THERE WAS NEVER ANYONE ELSE. BUT AFTER THAT I REMEMBER LOOKING AT THINGS IN THE HOUSE THAT SEEMED OUT OF PLACE FOR YOU. THERE WERE BOOKS AND PAPERS AND CLOTHES IN YOUR ROOM THAT I KNEW WEREN'T YOURS. BUT I JUST THOUGHT YOU WENT AND DID A DUMP RUN WITHOUT ME AND FOUND SOME THINGS TO TRY ON…"

Sans watches Papyrus think.

"I saw him you know."

"YOU… WHAT?" Pap looks at Sans quickly with widening eyes. Sans just smiles and nods.

"Yep. Behind a gray door. He doesn't look like that now." He says looking at the snowman.

"Falling into the core and being in the void for so long really messed him up. What sucks is that I think you'd find him scary. When compared to his normal form anyway." Sans raises his hand and begins to construct what he saw in that gray room. A lump of melting goop and a melting face. Papyrus covers his mouth when Sans is finished. He knows for sure now that Sans didn't go crazy. This is what he actually saw!...

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT ANY OF THIS SOONER?"

"Literally three minutes ago you asked if I needed to see a doctor Pap. You thought I was insane."

That stings a little. Sans is right though. He certainly did say that and think that.

"YOU SAID… YOU THINK YOU CAN GET HIM BACK WITH THAT VIAL RIGHT?"

"Yep. I was running home to write some stuff down before you caught me. And now the more I think about how I'm going to make this work, the more I know I can do it. It's all coming together in this thick skull of mine bro." Sans smiles at Papyrus, and it really hits the younger brother that Sans was the Royal Scientists assistant. He did all the stuff that Papyrus couldn't dream about doing. It hits him that Sans is SO SMART… But he's been holding it back for years now. And he can't help but feel at least partially responsible for how Sans has changed.

No… Sans didn't change at all.

"YOU'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH THIS ALONE. THIS SECRET KNOWLEDGE… THE SUFFERING YOU HAD TO DO ALONE BECAUSE I COULDN'T REMEMBER. I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND… SANS, I AM SO SORRY."

Sans shakes his head.

"It's… alright. I'm almost glad you didn't have to suffer through that. You were too young. I wonder sometimes if it would have broken you… Then I remember what a cool and strong skeleton dude you are." He winks, but Papyrus doesn't feel better. There it is. Sans didn't change. He had to hide away a huge part of himself so that he could put up with Papyrus' crap and encourage him…

"THAT'S ENOUGH." He says quietly. Sans looks confused…

"THAT'S ENOUGH. YOU'VE DONE NOTHING BUT GOOD FOR ME ALL THIS TIME AND I WAS TOO IGNORANT TO SEE THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG!... YOU'VE DONE EVERYTHING. YOU STILL /DO/ EVERYTHING AND I'VE BEEN SO BLINDED BY MY QUEST TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD THAT… I LEFT YOU BEHIND AND DIDN'T EVEN LOOK BACK. I'VE BEEN A TERRIBLE BROTHER TO YOU SANS."

"Pap, no that's not—"

"SO LET ME HELP YOU. FOR ONCE LET ME /REALLY/ HELP YOU WITH SOMETHING."

Sans stares wide-eyed at Papyrus… He's looped so many times. He's gotten used to Papyrus just being his childish self for so long that he nearly forgot he is really just a big sweet heart. Sans has just been living a few days over and over.

The shorter skeleton looks down… then up at the snow Gaster's. He nods.

"Yeah. You can help. We're gonna get our dad back Pap. What do you think about that huh?" Sans looks up and smiles widely at Papyrus. It's been a long time since the younger has seen such a genuinely happy grin. Papyrus can only smile widely back and nod.

"I'M EXCITED TO RE-MEET THE MAN WHO WAS ABLE TO CREATE TWO VERY COOL SKELETONS!"

And so the two brothers get back to their house and into the basement. Papyrus watches Sans write down insane math problems that he is sure school didn't teach him.

"SANS, WHAT WAS HE LIKE? DID HE TEACH YOU ALL OF THIS MATH?"

"Not all of it, but he taught me a whole lot. Dad was really cool. It runs in the family obviously. Audible wink! There was a time where he was so busy that he didn't have time for us. And then crazy stuff happened and I guess he realized that life really is fleeting and that he needed to be with us more. I could only protect us both so much. My magic wasn't as strong as it is now."

Papyrus still can't believe—er… is still processing all of this new and weird information. All of this has been going on like a double life for Sans…

"WHAT KIND OF CRAZY STUFF? WHAT WAS HE WORKING ON THAT HE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO SPEND WITH US?"

"Well… I think that's a story for another time. The crazy stuff I mean. As for what he was working on… Well the reason we have the CORE in the first place, the thing that gives us heat and light and refrigerators and all that is because of dad. Dad designed the CORE and everything that has to do with it. How ironic that the thing he made ended up killing him." Sans can't stop a wry smile from coming up.

"WOWIE… SO OUR DAD MADE ALL OF THIS POSSIBLE? WE'RE RELATED TO SOMEONE SERIOUSLY AWESOME! I WISH I KNEW EARLIER SO I COULD BRAG ABOUT HIM MORE!"

"Heh! You bragged about him a lot at school."

Papyrus stares at sand hard with raised brows.

"I DID?... WHAT WAS… I LIKE BEFORE I FORGOT EVERYTHING? HAVE I CHANGED?" He asks with sudden worry. But Sans just snerks and shakes his head.

"Nah. You haven't changed a single bit your whole life Papyrus. Always excitable and determined to get what you wanted. You've always worked hard and… well you've always made me happy Papyrus." He smiles up at his taller brother… and then goes back to the math. Pap can't stop the quivering of his soul. He can't stop the feeling that he's only been a burden to Sans…

"I SAW THE SNOWMAN BUT… DO YOU THINK I LOOK LIKE HIM?"

"Funny you ask. I actually asked him a lot of questions on the day we fell about how we're related. Because I didn't know who our mom was. I never got answers for who SHE was, but dad said you get his height and long face from him. You're both a lot alike in your work ethic that's for damn sure."

"WOW. WE REALLY DID HAVE PARENTS DIDN'T WE? IT NEVER REALLY OCCURRED TO ME BEFORE. BECAUSE IT'S ALWAYS EVER BEEN JUST US… TO ME AT LEAST. SO IF I LOOK LIKE DAD THEN YOU LOOK LIKE MOM? WHAT WAS /SHE/ LIKE? AND WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?"

Sans taps the pencil to his teeth and hums in thought…

"Ironically, I told dad that we would talk about mom later because I wanted you to be there to hear anything dad told us. But all I got out of him was that I look more like her. And that she was pretty great. Dad loved her a lot." He nods and erases something on the paper and corrects it.

"WELL THEN, WHEN HE GETS BACK HE'LL HAVE TO TELL US ALL ABOUT HER!" Papyrus says loudly, folding his arms. "ANYWAY, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WHILE YOU WRITE DOWN ALL THAT STUFF? WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU PLANNING?" Pap leans in and squints at the numbers and symbols. Sans sighs and rolls from his stomach to his back.

"Well… It's mostly going to center around my magic and his. I'm gonna tweak the machine to react to our magic together and I'm hoping that I can maybe reach in and… find him that way. I dunno… As for what you'll be doing, I'm thinking that you'll have to be my anchor. So I don't fall into the void too."

Papyrus gasps. "THAT CAN HAPPEN? YOU THINK YOU MIGHT JUST FALL RIGHT IN, JUST LIKE THAT?"

"Dad did."

"I… SUPPOSE YOU'RE RIGHT. SO I'LL BE THE TETHER THAT KEEPS YOU CONNECTED TO THIS WORLD EH? WELL THEN BROTHER I SHALL DO MY BEST! I ONLY WISH I COULD HELP YOU WITH MORE. YOU'RE DOING ALL THE WORK… I WISH I WERE BETTER AT ALL OF THIS MATH JUNK. IT WAS NEVER MY THING."

"Don't worry about it bro. Honestly just you bein' here and knowing what's going on makes me feel a hundred times better. I don't remember the last time that things were like this…. Well I do, but it's been so long…. ANYWAY." Sans sits up finally and sits crisscross in front of his work. Papyrus sits up straight and listens closely.

"Here's what I'm thinking EXACTLY. When dad and I fixed the machine we noticed that there was a screw loose. And we talked about what would happen if it DIDN'T get fixed. We theorized that maybe it'd blow up or something. But I think that it's gonna help us out. Mostly because jack shit happened when it was perfectly in place. So I'm gonna mess that up, and then I'm gonna use my magic to create a…. portal I guess. Then I'm gonna put half of dad's magic from the vial into the portal. So it can attach to him in the void if he doesn't have any. And then with the other half, I'm gonna put it on my hand and I'm gonna reach in."

Papyrus scrunches up his nose a little and looks at his brother.

"NORMALLY I'D SAY THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. BUT HOW SURE ARE YOU THAT THIS WILL WORK? DON'T WE ONLY HAVE ONE SHOT AT THIS?"

Sans chuckles darkly under his breath.

"That's a completely different story… I'll tell you some day. But just trust me on this. If it doesn't work this time, then I'll make it work the second time when I have all of the occurrences down."

"I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE GETTING AT… BUT I'LL TRUST YOU."

()

()

It takes two days for the human to come back through the ruins. Sans meets them and finds no dust on their hands. They smile and laugh at his jokes and hid behind the lamp when Papyrus comes by.

Sans has finished the formula and is confident that everything will work out… Once the human fights and spares Papyrus, they come to hang out with him and then leave into waterfall after he gives them his phone number. In the meantime, the brothers work on screwing with the machine. During that time, Sans tells Papyrus everything he knows about Gaster. Anything he can remember. How they were as a family. It makes Papyrus happy to here. But it also makes him incredibly sad. All of this stuff happened and when Gaster fell, all of those memories were replaced. Fabricated even. It's disturbing… But he hopes that they can fix this. Maybe when Gaster comes back, Papyrus will get his memories back! He thinks that would be nice…

The human calls Papyrus many times on their trip through the underground. Undyne eventually comes by when she and the kid burn her house down. She asks where he's been. Papyrus isn't sure he should tell anyone about what they're doing… so he just says that he's been giving himself a little training space.

Eventually though she goes inside the house to rest and Papyrus goes into the basement quickly.

"There you are Pap. The kid off to Hotland?"

"INDEED. ARE… ARE WE ALMOST READY TO ACTIVATE THIS THING?"

"Just about bro. But uh… I gotta talk to you about something."

Papyrus nods and walks to Sans' side by the machine. "OF COURSE. WHAT IS IT BROTHER?"

"So uh… Remember how I said I know a lot about things that I'd explain later? This is a little part of that talk. I guess."

Pap can clearly see that Sans is uncomfortable talking about this, so he waits quietly while his brother thinks through what he wants to say.

"Ah jeez it's sorta hard to explain… I'll just water it down. We're gonna get outta the underground."

"WELL YES, SOME DAY OF COURSE—"

"Nah nah pap. Like, tomorrow. The kids gonna break the barrier and we're all gonna get to see the surface."

Sans stays quiet this time so Papyrus can process this.

"HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY KNOW THAT SANS? YOU TALK ABOUT THE BARRIER BREAKING LIKE IT'S BREAKFAST!"

"I've been through a lot and seen a lot Papyrus…. Do you trust me?"

Out of nowhere, Papyrus snaps his head to the side to stare at Sans in shock. Something about the way Sans said that sparked something in Papyrus' memory. He can't put his finger on it… but… "Do you trust me?"…. Why does that sound familiar?...

"I DO… BUT YOU /WILL/ EXPLAIN EVERYTHING TO ME WHEN WE DO GET OUT." His phone rings.

"OH? ONE SECOND, IT'S THE HUMAN!" The kid says something on the other line.

"THE CORE… YOU'RE GETTING CLOSE HUH?..." He hangs up and stares at his phone. It's still hard to think about. The CORE. He can only picture what it was like falling inside of that thing. His dad that he can't remember being scared… His own brother almost died. What if he didn't remember him either?

"Papyrus." Sans says firmly. Pap snaps out of it and looks back to Sans.

"Hey, don't be sad. We're fixing everything, remember? And the kid's gonna fix everything too. They're gonna get us outta here."

"YOU'VE SAID. CAN'T YOU TELL ME ANY MORE ABOUT… ANYTHING? BEING IN THE DARK IS SCARY. I LIKE ADVENTURE AS MUCH AS THE NEXT GUY BUT… YOU CLEARLY KNOW SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU'RE LETTING ON…"

Sans glances up at his brother and finds Papyrus fiddling with his gloves and scarf. He thinks and puts one hand in his hoody pocket and rubs his chin with the other.

"Hmmm… Well, don't be scared I guess. A lot of weird stuff is gonna go down, but don't be scared. Because I'll be there with you, okay?"

"T-THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS NEVER SCARED!" The taller skeleton says. But when he looks down at Sans, he can clearly see 100% truth in his eyes… With a gulp he looks at the machine and sighs…

"ALRIGHT… IF YOU'RE SURE."

"I'm a gazillion percent sure. And that ain't even a real number. We're gonna be fine… And uh… when we do get outta here, ironically we gotta come back down and finish this."

Papyrus just shakes his head and sighs. This is all too much for him….

"I'M GOING TO GO TAKE A WALK."

"Sure thing. Sorry about all of this bro. Things will be better soon."

"DON'T BE SORRY ANYMORE."

The two nod to each other and Papyrus leaves the basement.

Along his walk in the Snowdin forest, a tiny yellow flower speaks to him…


	13. GASTER The End (and some indulgence)

This blackout must be the worst one yet…

In the darkness Gaster floats. He thinks to himself "EVERY TIME I INTERACT WITH THE REAL WORLD, THE BLACKOUTS SEEM TO GET LONGER." But he waits patiently. He knows that he's gotten Sans on to some sort of track. But… will his son really be able to get him out of here? How would he even do it? The machine doesn't work anymore… and there's not a whole lot in the lab that could help. Hmmm… He does remember that he made a letter and a file with some stuff in it, but there's no way any of that would be useful. Sigh…

A light. Ah! Just as it seemed the blackout was going to last for eternity too! Thank goodness, a brief escape. Gaster wishes so badly that he could feel again. The sensation of touch is very difficult to live without…

He floats over and peeks. The scene doesn't surround him this time. What a shame… At least he can see something in this small TV sized crack in the void. A familiar part of this very upsetting loop that he's seen many times.

Papyrus speaks to that little devil Flowey, and he instructs the skeleton to call Undyne and Alphys, and head to Asgore's castle and take Sans with him. "Something AMAZING is about to happen!" The flower says happily. And Papyrus, the poor dolt, doesn't see that the plant is bad. But it's a very typical run-through as far as Gaster is concerned.

And so Papyrus goes—… Oh? Papyrus goes into the back of the house. This is new and interesting. Papyrus NEVER goes to the back of the house.

"{{HOW UNUSUAL…}}" Gaster says to himself. Sans comes out of the back door and the two walk and talk. Sans appears to be explaining something and Gaster can't quite hear the conversation. But Papyrus nods and makes some wide hand gestures that Gaster has learned to read as "around." So Sans is telling Papyrus to go "around" something? Huh. What is this strange new development? FINALLY something new!

Gaster's view changes to the human talking to Asgore and Toriel. The normally very touching scene plays out as usual. Unfortunately, it's gotten so old to Gaster that he just blinks boredly. Jeez how dull. The only reason he's continuing to watch and not just drift back into darkness is because of Sans and Papyrus' interesting new moves.

Undyne shows up. Gaster used to get a chuckle at Undyne's words. "Is that your EX? That's rough buddy." Because that's exactly how he used to feel about it all.

Alphys shows up next. It's still unfortunate that the queen has run away and hidden for so long that the new Royal Scientist doesn't even know who Toriel is. Hmph. Gaster can feel few emotions now, but contempt is still one. And excitement! Papyrus shows up. Ah his precious youngest. He can still get a smirk out of Gaster with his adorable lack of understanding. The old scientist says the lines he's heard a billion times.

"{{DID ASGORE SHAVE…? AND… CLONE HIMSELF?}}"

Sans slips in and he and Toriel have their usual conversation. Gaster thinks he may have to have a word with Sans about this… frankly weird relationship between him and the queen. In the first several "Pacifist" runs Gaster has seen, he remembers that his son is a grown man and he can actually fall in love with another monster. Whoever he wants. He just hopes that Sans doesn't ACTUALLY like Toriel like that… And yet if that's what the two choose then he has no say. He'll be polite, but he will secretly and occasionally not so secretly still dislike Toriel for her actions…

Everyone is finally together.

And then the flower appears and traps everyone in his thorns. It still worries Gaster every time this happens. Faintly now, but still a little bit of worry comes out. He's seen a few timelines where Sans is turned to dust right there on the spot. That is… never a good thing. The human resets at that point. There's no point in having a pacifist run through if all of their friends aren't there.

Everyone's souls are absorbed and there stands the child, Asriel.

"{{I WAS SO TIRED OF BEING A FLOWER.}}" Gaster says in time with Asriel. The boy transforms into his true form and the fight begins. As usual the human does better and better every time, having learned Asriel's attacks.

Eventually the goat boy turns into his FINAL FORM. The human struggles to move, but their soul reaches out anyway. It reaches inside the very depths of Asriel's soul and they call out to all of their friends.

Gaster has noted that the human picks Sans and Papyrus first nearly every single time. That makes him happy and proud that his sons are first. It's a dad thing…

Everyone is saved one by one and finally the child calls out to Asriel himself.

"{{I THINK IF I STILL LIKED ANIME, THIS WOULD BE TERRIBLY SAD AND BEAUTIFUL. BUT HEAVENS ME IT'S SO OLD NOW! GOOD LORD… CAN'T THIS HURRY UP AT ALL?}}"

He knows it sounds ungrateful, seeing as how darkness has been his only company for… what feels like years now since the last time he was able to speak to Sans. But he thinks he's actually going to lose his mind all the way until he just absolutely loses his marbles. Every single marble and noodle there is, he is going to lose it soon. But Gaster sighs and continues watching the usual spiel.

The human explains that their name is Frisk and not Chara. They forgive Asriel and the goat child finally breaks the barrier and releases every soul that he took.

The view changes from this scene to everyone standing around Frisk who is laying on the ground not moving. Huh. He's only rarely seen this side of things. At least it's a minor change from what he's used to seeing.

Papyrus cries with worry that the human is dead or that they won't wake up. Everyone seems to be in a mild panic. Everyone but Sans. He already knows that the human- that Frisk will wake up and be alright.

And Frisk does wake up, making everyone very happy.

"Tell us next time you go to take a nap okay?!" Undyne shouts. Sans just chuckles and nods.

"Yeah. You made Papyrus cry like a baby."

"WHAT?!" Papyrus yells. Sans cringes away from the noise but snickers at his brother anyway.

"I DIDN'T CRY! I DON'T CRY! I JUST… CAUGHT SOMETHING IN MY EYE…"

Ah, Gaster enjoys this part. He remember the first 1000 times he saw this scene. He laughed every single time. Now he just smiles, but the comedy is not lost on him.

"What did you catch?" Sans says with slight anticipation. How sad that Sans has had to go through this as many times as Gaster has seen. Like father like son…

"TEARS!" Sans laughs at his brother and pats him on the back. Frisk talks to each and every person there a few times, and then they walk off to talk to everyone else in the underground they'll miss. But Gaster's view sticks to the main six monsters. He notes that everyone sorta separates into groups. Sans manages to get a few words in to Papyrus before Toriel walks up to them and gushes over how excited she is to finally meet the voice behind the door.

It takes a while, but the human returns and everyone goes to the door to the east.

And this is where the scene ends. Every single time. For some reason, Gaster isn't able to see the surface. Ever. Never ever the surface. He thought that maybe when the barrier breaks he'd be able to leave or at least SEE the surface. But the void only ever lets him see the underground.

Everything returns to black and he sighs. He didn't get to see what Sans and Papyrus were up to… Oh well… Maybe someday he'll get to see SOMETHING having to do with that…

But for now he just has to wait again in the silent sensationless void.

()

()

()

()

Sans, Papyrus and the others all stand and stare at the sunset. It's stunning... This is really it. The surface.

"SANS, WHAT IS THAT GIANT BALL?" Papyrus asks quietly, still astonished by this beauty. Sans stands there and stares happily.

"We call that the 'sun' my friend."

The breeze is so nice. Even if stuff like this only lasts for a few minutes usually, it's still a… breath of fresh air you could say. Real outside air.

Papyrus listens to the others talk, but in the back of his mind he remembers Sans' words from earlier.

"I'M GOING TO GO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION!" The taller skeleton shouts and runs off as quickly as he can. Sans smiles and shrugs facing away from the sunlight.

"Welp. Someone's gotta keep him outta trouble." He walks right back down into the mountain underground. Behind him he can hear Undyne screaming "Do I have to do everything around her? PAPYRUS WAIT!"

But according to the plan, Papyrus goes around and gets right back into the mountain and appears next to Sans.

"WAS THAT CORRECT BROTHER?" Pap asks. Sans nods and gives him a thumbs up.

"Yep. Good work bro. Now let's get that machine booted up."

The boys nod to each other and Sans holds his hand out. Papyrus takes it and the two teleport several times throughout the underground until they make it to the Snowdin/Waterfall border.

"Phew…"

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT BROTHER?" Papyrus asks and rubs Sans' back a little. The shorter brother just nods and chuckles a little.

"Yeah I'm alright. Short bursts let me save some magic."

Even so, Papyrus doesn't hesitate and picks Sans right up off the ground and runs home with his long legs. It's not often he does this for his older brother. Usually he only picks Sans up if he's dead asleep at Grillby's or is too tired to even teleport home from wherever he is.

"H-Hey give a guy a warning!"

"THERE'S NO TIME TO WASTE! BESIDES DON'T WE WANT YOU IN TOP FORM? WE CANNOT FALTER IN MAKING THIS WORK!" The taller brother says. Sans shrugs a little and nods.

"Yeah I guess so. But really I'm okay!"

Papyrus ignores him and runs all the way home and gets into the basement and rushes down the stairs. He sets Sans down finally and looks at the machine.

The butterflies start to flutter in his bones. Flutter with excitement.

"SANS… OH SANS I'M SO EXCITED! I REALLY HOPE THIS WORKS…" Sans rolls his neck around and stares at his own hands.

"It will bro, don't worry. Alright… let me get centered here." He takes deep breaths even though he really doesn't need to. No lungs and all. But he relaxes to try and regain a little more magic.

"Right. We're takin' this baby to the CORE."

Sans walks over to the drawers and gets out the vial of purple magic then stuffs it into a hoody pocket. He walks over to the machine and touches it and holds his hand out for Papyrus. The taller skeleton takes his hand and nods.

"I'M READY."

"Good. Don't let go." They take a second to gather themselves and then Sans teleports the two of them many times all the way back to the CORE. Papyrus blinks a few times to shake off the dizziness.

"WOW. HERE WE ARE. I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER BEEN AT THE CORE."

"You have quite a few times actually. You were just a baby bones back then though. It didn't look like this either. It was way less…. Safe looking. We didn't have a whole lot of metal at the time so it was less sturdy than it is now. But this is the spot where everything happened."

Sans looks on at the place where he can clearly see the memories of everything collapsing. The scraping metal sounds. It was so loud. The machine fell and almost killed him right there. And then he was catapulted into the air and everything sorta went in slow motion. A thought crosses his mind that maybe history will repeat itself… His brother is here now and it makes Sans sick. What if something horrible happens? What if this all backfires? Was this a good idea to involve Papyrus?

Papyrus goes to say something but he can see that his brother is having a moment. He pats Sans' shoulder and smiles at him when he looks up.

"Are you uh… Are you scared Pap?" Sans says. Papyrus tilts his head a little.

"NOT AT ALL. WHY DO YOU SAY THAT?"

"Aren't you scared to… to fall in too?" His eyes are blank and it unsettles Papyrus. But the younger shakes his head.

"DON'T BE SILLY. EVEN IF SOMETHING WERE TO HAPPEN, I KNOW WE WOULD GET OUT SAFELY! YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY MONSTER HERE WITH STRONG MAGIC BROTHER."

Sometimes Sans forgets that. Papyrus is very good with his magic. He just doesn't use it if he really doesn't need it. It sets Sans' mind and stomach at ease. He nods.

"You're totally right. Let's do this. Plug it in and I'll get the magic worked up."

"I'M ON IT!" Papyrus salutes and goes around the machine and picks up the thick black cord. He stuffs it into a socket and walks back to Sans. He watches his brother's left eye glow brighter and brighter blue. Sans takes his hands out of his pockets and those begin to glow too. The vial floats out of the hoody pocket and is uncorked. Sans magically shakes some of the magic out into the machine.

"Press and hold the button Pap. This is it."

"R-RIGHT."

"Absolutely do NOT let go until I tell you to."

"UNDERSTOOD." Papyrus walks to the front of the machine and presses and holds the button. He watches as Sans focuses extremely hard on summoning as much magic as he is physically able to without hurting himself. Papyrus can almost see the stored up HP Sans has slowly whittling away and it makes him nervous. But he trusts his brother so much so he doesn't say anything… Sans gets to 100 HP and finally lets his magic loose on the machine right in the center. Gaster magic and Sans' magic combine and swirl together. It fills up the inside of the machine with a galaxy of colors!

"R-Right, let go now." Sans says nervously. Papyrus nods and takes his finger away from the button. The CORE's white light underneath them stutters faintly for less than a second. Inside the machine, the galaxy fades into a solid black boundless void. There is no depth perception. The blackest darkness any living creature could ever see.

"S-SANS DOES THIS MEAN IT'S WORKING?..." Papyrus wrings his hands nervously and looks between Sans and the darkness. Sans stares at it and slowly his smile returns.

"Y-yeah. This what I wanted. Dad's magic and my magic opened up a rift to the void. We did it! O-okay! Okay okay uh…." Sans floats the vial of the rest of Gaster's magic over to himself and pours it on his hand and arm.

"Okay Pap. Here it goes. Hold my hand and obviously don't let go. It might even be better to hold my sleeve. Never know when my arm might pop out." Sans laughs nervously, but Papyrus gulps. That would not be good… But he nods and grabs Sans' hand with one hand, and his sleeve with the other.

"READY."

"Good… Here I go then." Sans leans into the darkness and half of him disappears.

()

()

The last scene feels like months ago. Gaster wonders if he'll have to endure another blackout. That would suck. But it's not the first time. He's used to it.

He preoccupies himself with fantasies and ideas of things that could be happening. Maybe Grillby is selling Sans some fries. Maybe they're talking about the weather in Snowdin. Perhaps Papyrus walks in and actually sits down with his brother and the two eat together. Maybe they're watching TV. Maybe they're fighting about something petty like the sock not being moved. Thoughts like this are the only things keeping Gaster mildly grounded in at least some sort of sane mental state. He finds himself humming songs he used to sing for the boys. It brings him a little peace…

A scene appears. It's brighter than it is normally.

"{{OH? INTERESTING… IT'S BLUE. WHAT SORT OF WINDOW IS THIS?}}" Gaster looks at it and floats to it slowly. It's a little ways away from him. But just as he get about twenty feet away from it (he's guessing really. There are no "feet" in the void.) the window goes from blue to purple.

"{{WHAT IS THIS?...}}" The purple swirls around and then darts for him. He gasps and tries to back away but the purple mist enters him. It's the most warm and familiar thing he's felt in eons… What is this?

The light is gone.

"{{WHERE… DID IT GO? WHAT THE DEVIL JUST HAPPENED? I FEEL… I FEEL SO….}}" Gaster looks down at his hands in confusion and swears he can feel a small tingling sensation. It starts to tingle more and more and it almost starts to hurt.

"{{WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME? N-NO NO NO STOP! I DON'T UNDERSTAND!}}"

"Dad!" A voice screams at him. It snaps Gaster right out of his thoughts and he looks up and around….

"{{SANS?... MY GOD I'VE LOST IT. IT'S FINALLY HERE. I'VE LOST MY MIND! THAT IS JUST GREAT. AND WHAT A CRUEL WAY FOR IT TO HAPPEN TOO! TRICKING ME WITH MY OWN SONS VOICE?}}"

"DAD!" Comes another voice. Papyrus. This time it comes from a specific direction. And that NEVER happens. Gaster snaps his head up to look at the source and above him nearly thirty feet away is something terrifying… In the darkness, most of Sans' body is poking in from somewhere.

"{{SANS?}}" Gaster says with a shaky voice. Did Sans fall into the CORE as well? No… No not his son too! And he heard Papyrus! Did they both fall in? WHAT IS GOING ON.

Sans looks down and sees his goopy old man. He waves his hand and holds it out.

"DAD! Hurry up and get over here! Grab my hand!"

"SANS DO YOU REALLY SEE HIM? I WAS JUST CALLING BECAUSE YOU WERE!"

Gaster sits there in disbelief… is this part of his mind finally snapping? Is he SEEING things now?... Is it worth it to try and-… He feels his magic…

That's what that stuff was. It was his own magic. And Sans has some inside of his arm… Is this real?...

He begins to float his way up to Sans and the bright smile on his son's face makes him pick up the pace.

"{{IS THAT… REALLY YOU? HOW DID YOU GET HERE?}}"

"It is! It's me! You got weirdly fat old man! I'm only poppin' in for a little bit though so hurry up!" Sans laughs and looks close to tears. Gaster feels a swelling he hasn't felt in such a long time… He speeds up and reaches out with his disconnected hand.

Finally Sans reaches in a little more and takes his dad's hand.

Touch. Gaster is really actually touching Sans' hand. He FEELS it. Sans pulls hard and is met with some resistance from the void.

"Pull Papyrus! Pull on my sleeve! We're bringin' our dad back!" Sans shouts. From the outside, Papyrus puts his foot up against the buttonless side of the machine and pulls Sans' hoody as hard as he can. This resistance is what Papyrus imagines quicksand feels like.

Gaster's magic flows from Sans' hand back into Gaster's body. He feels a rush of life. This is REAL. Sans disappears from the darkness, but he still grips Gaster's hand.

"Dad stick your other hand out! Pap, grab it!" Sans says loudly. Gaster reaches forward with his other hand and from the darkness appears a red gloved hand. It takes Gaster's hand and the two brothers pull hard.

Light engulfs Gaster just like a scene would. But now he feels heat. Everything is so bright he almost can't see. Everything hurts and under him he can feel metal grate. The two let go of him and he covers his eyes quickly.

"{{GOOD HEAVENS IT'S BRIGHT!}}" Gaster says. He can hear so many things. It feels like every noise in the world is rattling his skull. But one particular noise he can hear separate from all the rest, are the shaking breaths of his youngest. He forces himself to uncover and open his eyes slowly.

Once he adjusts he sees the CORE. It's very different now than when he fell… Oh god but he can still see the similarities of that day. But before those thoughts get any further, a movement of white advances towards him. He looks over and there stands Papyrus with tears in his eyes.

"{{PAPYRUS…}}"

Papyrus can feel some memories coming back. He can see things from years past. How Gaster would cook for them in the kitchen in a silly pink apron while the boys watched TV on the couch. His happy smile when putting the two to bed.

The humming. The snowball fights and laughs and scolding's for playing too roughly. A red scarf that Gaster bought for him on his 9th birthday….

"DAD… O-OH MY… OH MY GOD… THEY DID COME BACK."

Sans watches his brother for a second and can't stop tears from clouding his own vision. Papyrus is remembering. He's really remembering!

Gaster watches and can't believe his eyes. He's standing (more or less) in front of his children. To him it feels like one thousand millennia have passed him by. But here he is only ten years after his fall. 0.00001% less time than he actually spent in the void…

Behind him, Gaster can hear the machine powering down and the energy disappearing. The black void fades away and only the metal interior can be seen now. He's home… He's home.

"{{PAPYRUS, SANS… DID YOU REALLY…? G-GET OVER HERE THIS INSTANT" He holds his hands out and Sans and Papyrus run to him and hug him. They don't give a damn if he's almost completely made of goop. The hugs hurt more than anything Gaster has ever felt. But it's the best pain in the entire world.

"{{MY BOYS… MY BOYS… YOU BROUGHT ME HOME…}}" So many emotions pass through Gaster and he can't stop them from spilling over in the form of tears. The whole family sobs and holds each other tightly.

"DAD YOU'RE REALLY HERE! I—I FORGOT ABOUT YOU! I ACTUALLY FORGOT ABOUT MY OWN FATHER! I'M SO SORRY!"

"{{DON'T BE SORRY MY SON, IT'S OKAY. I NEVER BLAMED YOU. I WAS SHOWN AT LEAST SOME MERCY IN THE VOID. I WATCHED YOU TWO GROW UP INTO FINE ADULTS. I'M SO /SO/ PROUD OF YOU BOTH.}}"

"I can't believe it worked. I knew it would but I can't believe this! Dad you're really here… You're really here." Sans and Papyrus mush their faces into Gaster and hug him so tightly. Gaster smushes them and holds their skulls close to him. The two boys finally lean back a little to get a better look at their dad. His face is cracked far more than it used to be and the side of his face is still a bit droopy. But this man is their father. Sans reaches up and wipes some of Gaster's purple tears away.

Gaster kisses both boys' heads just like he used to and he holds each of their faces in his hands.

"{{LOOK AT MY TWO PRECIOUS CHILDREN… YOU'VE GROWN SO MUCH! YOU TWO… REALLY DID IT. YOU'LL BOTH HAVE TO TELL ME HOW LATER.}}"

"We will. There are a couple other things to talk about though."

Papyrus stands up straight and wipes his eyes.

"DAD, THE HUMAN BROKE THE BARRIER! WE CAN ALL GO TO THE SURFACE NOW! BUT I THINK BEFORE WE GO UP THERE… WELL WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO FIRST?" Papyrus says with a giant smile.

"{{THIS MUST BE AFTER THE LAST SCENE I WATCHED… THE HUMAN BROKE THE BARRIER… WHEN WAS THAT?}}"

"A half hour ago."

"{{AH TIME… HOW I MISSED TIME… WOULD IT BE SELFISH OF ME TO...}}"

"No!" Sans says quickly. "Of course nothing you say would be selfish. Anything you want dad!" Papyrus nods quickly in agreement. The youngest is honestly just elated to hear his father's voice. He notices something though. Gaster isn't speaking a normal language. He's speaking his native language, Wingdings. He's not sure when he learned to understand it, but he doesn't care AT ALL right now.

"{{I JUST WANT TO GO HOME…}}" Gaster says quietly. Sans grabs his and Papyrus' hands and they appear in front of the house. Gaster is a bit shocked at the sudden switch from hot to freezing. But like before, he doesn't care. Any pain is the best pain. Any feeling is the best feeling. Hot to cold, freezing to boiling, ANYTHING. It's all miraculous.

Gaster looks up at his home and chuckles. He's seen the changes the boys have made a million times, but to see it right in front of him, tangible, is a completely different story. The silly pirate flag, the Christmas lights… He just stands there staring.

"You gonna go in?" Sans says. Gaster snaps out of it and he thinks. It honestly takes him a few seconds to realize that he can actually TOUCH things. He can interact with objects.

"{{OH, THAT'S RIGHT. I CAN OPEN DOORS NOW CAN'T I?}}" Gaster gulps and notices he doesn't float anymore. Oh gosh this is strange.

"{{I HOPE I GET LEGS BACK… THAT WOULD BE NICE.}}" He says to himself, forgetting that Sans and Papyrus can hear him. Papyrus notices all of this of course, being very observant after all. Things have been different for his dad for so long that he's forgotten how to interact with the real world. But before he moves to help his father, Gaster advances. He gets to the door and grabs the handle. The cold metal on his boney hand is glorious. He twists and pushes the door in. The zigzag carpet and the old couch are the first things he sees. The familiar smell of the home wafts in his face. He begins to shake.

Home.

He goes inside and the boys follow him. Sans and Papyrus stand on either side of him, and the youngest notices that he's the tallest in the family. Gaster seems to have shrunk a bit, becoming goo and all. But he's sure that if Gaster still had his old posture that he would be the tallest one by several inches.

"{{MY PERFECT BOYS… I NEVER IMAGINED SOMETHING SO AMAZING WOULD HAPPEN. AFTER ALL THIS TIME, I'M FINALLY HOME WITH MY CHILDREN…}}" He shakes more and chokes up. Papyrus is the first to bend down and hug his father tightly. Sans follows almost immediately. The tears start again and Sans half whispers.

"Welcome home dad."

()

(Bonus indulgence!)

The family talk for about an hour before deciding to walk around. In the back of Papyrus' mind he still remembers running away from Undyne and that everyone is probably wondering where the skeleton brothers are. But his dad takes absolute priority right now obviously.

They see several monsters already packing their things. Frisk came down and talked to them all and let them know the barrier was open. The happiness everyone feels radiates in the Underground.

"{{I WONDER THOUGH…}}" Gaster says to himself. Sans hears loud and clear and he knows that his dad is thinking. But maybe if they show Frisk that Gaster is here they won't reset… God he hopes that resetting won't send Gaster back into the void.

"WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO FIRST FATHER? WE HAVE THE ENTIRE WORLD TO EXPLOR NOW!" Papyrus says loudly. He can't help himself when he takes Gaster's hand excitedly. The child who didn't get to grow up with his dad is showing. And Gaster absolutely loves it. He holds Pap's hand back tightly and smiles at him.

"{{GOODNESS…. THE ENTIRE WORLD. THE UNDERGROUND HAS CHANGED A LOT. I'VE WATCHED. EVERYONE HAS GROWN UP… I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START! ANYWHERE WITH YOU TWO IS THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH."

"Don't get too mushy, I got a reputation to uphold you know." Sans says holding back a shaky tone. Papyrus grins.

"WHY? BECAUSE YOU MAY CRY?~"

"Role reversal huh? Punk." The two chuckle a little and Gaster is positive that his boys are angels. Just actual angels.

"{{I SUPPOSE WE SHOULD WALK OUR WAY TO THE SURFACE. I CAN SEE EVERYTHING ON THE WAY.}}"

The group turn and head to Waterfall. The purple rocks are the same as ever. Gaster glides his hand along the walls with a smile. Oh god it hurts. It hurts so good. The cool misty air is refreshing and he remembers how often he came here to relax. They make it to the glowing blue water and echo flowers and cross the many small bridges.

"{{I USED TO COME HERE ALL THE TIME. IT'S AS BEAUTIFUL AS I REMEMBER IT.}}" It's also where he met Undyne. She had dragged him back a long ways until they got to a bench and demanded to be experimented on. But even now he won't tell his sons about that.

"WOW… I TRAIN HERE A LOT WITH UNDYNE. TO THINK YOU HAD WALKED THESE SAME ROUTES AND I COULDN'T REMEMBER YOU…" Papyrus slumps a little… He still feels horrible about that. Gaster gives his son's hand a bit of a squeeze and smiles at him.

"{{NOT TO WORRY… I WATCHED YOU TRAIN WITH UNDYNE. YOU BOTH ARE VERY GOOD FIGHTERS. UNDYNE WAS THE PERFECT TRAINER FOR YOU, PAPYRUS.}}"

"WOWWIE. YOU WERE WATCHING ME ALL THAT TIME?" Papyrus blushes a little, embarrassed. His dad complimented him on his fighting… Even though Gaster never wanted Pap to get involved with such things he supported him anyway…

The group travels North and see Onionsan. Gaster doesn't remember this monster at all. The friendly onionoctopus monster swims away though, happy to be free.

Ahead of them, a statue sits. It's holding an umbrella and a tune is playing. Papyrus gasps. He's seen the statue many times but he's never heard the song coming from it. It reminds him.

"DIDN'T… YOU USED TO SING THAT TO US?" He looks down at Gaster with wide eyes.

"{{I DID. I HEARD ASGORE HUMMING IT MANY TIMES. I REMEMBER HE TOLD ME THAT HE'D SING THAT TUNE TO HIS CHILDREN BEFORE THEY DIED TO HELP THEM SLEEP. BUT IT REALLY ONLY WORKED ON ASRIEL. SO I DECIDED TO TRY IT ON YOU BOYS. AND IT WORKED LIKE A CHARM.}}"

"You knew Asriel?" Sans asks. They all stop in front of the statue to look.

"{{I DID. HE WAS A VERY KIND BOY. THE ENTIRE UNDERGROUND WAS DEVISTATED WHEN HE AND CHARA DIED. IT WAS A SAD TIME FOR EVERYONE.}}" Gaster nods a little, remembering the tears and wails of the entire monster race. He was sad about Asriel. But absolutely NOT sad about Chara. He was only sad that he couldn't get their soul.

"MY GOD… YOU ARE /SO/ OLD!" Papyrus shouts, knocking Gaster out of his thoughts. Sans snerks.

"Aw man, harsh Pap."

"{{AND I FEEL EVEN OLDER THAN I WOULD TECHNICALLY BE IF I HAD NOT DISAPPEARED! MY BACK IS KILLING ME." The three of them chuckle and walk on. The water from the surface falls through the cracks and makes a sort of "rain" in this area. Gaster holds his hands out and looks up with a smile. Rain. He hasn't felt rain in… Gosh, even before he fell. Going this far into Waterfall he would always take an umbrella so his suit wouldn't get wet. But now it feels like life dripping onto him from the heavens. He looks down into a puddle and stares.

"{{OH MY. WHO IS-…? GRACIOUS IS THAT… ME?}}" He bends down more and stares at himself in the puddle with shock.

"It's a different look that's for sure." Sans says, standing next to him. "I dunno about you, but I know Pap and I don't care what you look like. You're our dad." The two are reminded of the conversation they were having at the hotel in Hotland before the fall. Gaster smiles a bit.

"{{THIS IS TRUE… BUT I WONDER IF I COULD SOMEHOW REVERT BACK. I WONDER WHAT IT WOULD TAKE. A LOT OF MAGIC? SURGERY? CAN SURGERY EVEN BE DONE ON THIS BODY OF MINE? IS IT A MATTER OF WANTING IT? HOW INTERESTING.}}"

Papyrus and Sans chuckle. Gaster looks up at the two of them.

"YOU ALWAYS USED TO SAY EVERYTHING WAS 'INTERESTING.' IT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TERM. IS! I SUPPOSE."

The group walks further until they exit the rainy area and look out into the blackness. The castle is in the distance and the fake stars shimmer. Gaster becomes uncomfortable again though…

"DAD, ARE THE REAL STARS LIKE THIS?" Papyrus looks up at the faux sky and can only imagine. Gaster hums to himself in thought. Gosh it's been so long he almost can't remember… But it hits him.

"{{THEY'RE PRETTY CLOSE I'D SAY. BUT I KNOW YOU'LL LOVE THE REAL STARS MUCH MORE. WHEN I WAS A CHILD, WE COULD SEE BILLIONS OF STARS. THEY LOOKED LIKE GIANT SPARKLING CLOUDS.}}"

"WOW! I DIDN'T KNOW THE SURFACE WAS SO BEAUTIFUL!"

Gaster silently wonders if it's still as beautiful. Knowing that eventually the humans got electricity, they probably light up the world so much that stars are almost impossible to see. He just hopes they haven't ruined the surface TOO much…

They move on all the way to Hotland and Gaster feels better about the lighting situation. The pipes are built much sturdier than they were before he fell. There are more vents than before as well. There are monsters that wave to Sans. He's pretty popular in these parts for selling hotdogs and… hot cats? Gaster doesn't recognize any of the monsters. Some of them are the same SPECIES as one's he knew, but he can tell that their magic is different. He really shouldn't be surprised.

Finally the lab appears and Gaster stares up ahead at it. He's not sure how he feels.

"You alright pops?" Sans says with an even tone. Papyrus knows he could never understand how his dad feels about this place. Sans says that they used to practically live in this place because Gaster worked so often. But he thinks it was nice of his father! He wanted them all to be together so he could keep an eye on them! All Pap can remember about the inside is a slow elevator and a daycare room.

"{{I'M FINE. IT'S NICE TO SEE IT AGAIN. BUT IT'S UNUSUAL TO SEE HOW MUCH ALPHYS HAS CHANGED IT… AH, I'M NOT UPSET WITH HER. SHE'S THE ROYAL SCIENTIST SO IT'S ONLY NATURAL THAT SHE WOULD MAKE THE PLACE HER OWN.}}"

"DAD YOU KNOW DR. ALPHYS?"

"{{NOT PERSONALLY NO. THE SCENES I WATCHED IN THE VOID SHOWED ME EVERYTHING. SHE'S A VERY KIND GIRL. SHY AND RESERVED AND VERY SMART. I WATCHED MANY OF HER EXPERIMENTS. AND MANY OF HER ANIME'S. THOSE GOT OLD VERY QUICKLY.}}" Gaster says, moving towards the lab. The doors open up for him and it hits him again that he's real and not just floating through space.

"THAT'S AMAZING. I'VE NEVER MET HER IN PERSON MYSELF, BUT I'VE TALKED TO HER ONLINE A COUPLE TIMES. I THINK…?"

They walk inside and Gaster doesn't even look towards the elevator that leads down into his lab. Alphys' lab now really. He does look at the desk though and remembers how tidy the owl receptionist used to keep it. A scene played once for Gaster showing that they retired. He wonders where they are now.

A quick cut across the lab and through the rest of Hotland they go. The MTT resort is just ahead. Gaster used to like going through the then modest hotel. But now it's become a hotel with more rooms than ever and even a restaurant. He watched Sans do a few comedy bits there a few times. Sans is quite the comedian when he's serious about it. Once they go to the CORE, Gaster takes a good look around at everything.

"SANS TOLD ME THAT YOU DESIGNED THIS PLACE!" Pap shouts.

"{{I CERTAINLY DID. THE UNDERGROUND DIDN'T HAVE ANY LIGHTS LIKE IT DOES NOW. ANY ELECTRIC THINGS THAT FELL FROM THE SURFACE DIDN'T WORK ONCE THEY GOT DOWN HERE. IT WAS VERY COLD IN SNOWDIN AND THE MONSTERS INCLUDING US THAT LIVED THERE NEEDED HEAT FROM HEATERS. OVENS, HOT WATER, LIGHT… AND AS THE ROYAL SCIENTIST I HAD A DUTY TO THINK OF SOMETHING TO HELP. AND ONCE I FIGURED EVERYTHING OUT, I KNEW THAT I COULD USE THE INTENSE HEAT AND ENERGY OF THE MAGMA TO POWER THE ENTIRE UNDERGROUND. IT WAS ONE OF MY PROUDEST MOMENTS.}}" Gaster smiles a bit as they walk through. He's very cautious though.

{{"SANS, TELL ME WHEN THE CORE WAS FIXED UP SO NICELY. EVERYTHING IS SO STURDY. I TRIED NOT TO LOOK AT IT TOO MUCH BEFORE…}}"

As they walk, Sans looks down at his feet a little bit.

"Yeah, uh… Right after we fell, I was transported back home in the machine as you know. I ran back here and there were a bunch of people crowding around. I told them that four monsters fell in. So after that everyone deemed the CORE's structure unsafe. It took them a few years to reinforce every single thing so something like that would never happen again."

"{{I SEE. THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW THAT THEY TOOK THE ACCIDENT AS A CAUTIONARY TALE AND FIXED THE PLACE. I SUPPOSE I'M TO BLAME. IF I'D KNOWN THAT IT WAS SO FLIMSY I WOULD HAVE HAD IT FIXED AT THE VERY START… BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER ANYMORE. EVERYTHING'S BETTER NOW THAN IT EVER WAS. I'M PROUD OF EVERYONE THAT HELPED MAKE THIS PLACE SAFE.}}"

Sans chuckles breathily to himself. Even after all this crap that's happened to him, he's still the kind father that Sans remembers.

They take the elevator and it goes all the way up to the top. They pass through a square room that Gaster recognizes as the spot where Frisk fights Mettaton for the last time. Either killing him or dancing and posing with him. He's glad that things turned out well this time. They walk and take the second elevator and eventually make their way to the castle. Everything is grey and old. But Gaster remembers the long walks he would take here from work to talk to Asgore now and again. There's a catwalk that overlooks the old city.

"I'VE NEVER SEEN ANY OF THIS BEFORE. THE UNDERGROUND WAS BIGGER THAN I THOUGHT!" Papyrus looks over the edge a little and then out at the city. "THIS IS THE CAPITAL RIGHT? MONSTER'S STILL LIVE HERE?"

"A whole bunch actually." Sans says looking to the buildings. "But it was already here before I was old enough to understand things. Any cool history about this place dad?" It's still strange to be actually saying "dad" now and again. The word is so rarely spoken that it almost feels foreign.

Gaster nods. "{{OH YES INDEED. THERE WS AT SOME POINT A SMALL CAVE OPENING JUST NORTH OF THIS CITY. HUMANS LIVED HERE FOR A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE THEY ABANDONED IT WHEN THE WAR BEGAN. THEY KNEW THAT SOME MONSTERS WOULD ATTEMPT TO MAKE A CAVE IN AND TRAP THEM. HOW IRONIC THAT EVENTUALLY THE HUMANS WOULD BE THE ONES TO DO IT. THE CAVE ENDED UP COLLAPSING BY ITSELF ANYWAY.}}" He chuckles wryly. Papyrus never got to hear about anything like this in his history classes. Mostly because he didn't pay attention. And also, like Sans, he dropped out. To pursue his dream of becoming a Royal Guardsman of course.

Eventually they enter the last corridor. The judgement hall. Gaster stares down the long orange and yellow hallway and grimaces at it. He's seen some terrible things happen here… Sans of course notices this uncomfortable energy and takes his hand.

"WOW THIS IS BEAUTIFUL!" Pap says, moving his free arm around in a wide circle. "IT'S SO LARGE!"

"{{THERE WERE SOME OCCASIONS WHERE ASGORE AND I WOULD TALK HERE. THIS HALL USED TO HAVE MANY MONSTERS IN IT. GUARDS, PEDESTRIANS, WORKERS FROM THE CORE. IT WAS RATHER CALMING. IT WAS THE ONLY 'REAL' LIGHT ANYONE COULD GET.}}"

They make it through all the way to Asgore's garden. Gaster notices that the rooms to the left and right of the throne room are no longer there. He wonders why such a move was made. But either way, he's distracted by the smell of flowers. So many flowers. The light wasn't here before. Cracks must have appeared in the mountain and let in a little real sunlight in the last ten years. Gaster is sure to dodge the puddles of light. Papyrus on the other hand stands on them.

"IS THE LIGHT SUPPOSED TO BE BLUE FATHER? I SAW THE SUN AND IT WAS YELLOW!"

"{{NOT AT ALL. IT MUST BE NIGHT TIME. THE MOON MAKES A VERY NICE WHITE LIGHT… AH… I'M SORRY. I KEPT YOU FROM SEEING THE SUNSET DIDN'T I?}}" Gaster looks down a bit, feeling very bad. His sons have never seen the light before this day. They must have only seen a fraction of the sunset if they came back down to get him out of the void. Even Sans who has been through many loops and remembers has seen the sun for only a little while…

"Don't even worry about it dad. There will be a ton of sunsets we can all sit and watch together right?" Sans gives Gaster's hand a squeeze. Papyrus does the same and Gaster just can't stop feeling so many things. His boys are perfect. He could never ask for a better family.

"YEAH DON'T FEEL BAD! ANY SUN OR MOON EVENT WITHOUT US ALL THERE SEEMS POINTLESS! DO YOU THINK YOU'RE READY THEN DAD? TO SEE THE SURFACE AGAIN?"

Gaster thinks on this… He knows that he should be excited to see it. But a part of him still can't shake the past. Sans gives his hand a small reassuring tug.

That's all it takes for Gaster to feel comfortable. They all walk past the single throne and walk up a bit of a slope. Light from the outside is pouring in.

The moon is huge. It looks so close. Sans and Papyrus gasp. Even Sans has never seen the moon and stars before. The boys are completely sucked in at this beautiful sight.

Gaster smiles. The stars are just as beautiful as he remembers…

"{{WELCOME TO THE SURFACE BOYS… THIS IS THE REAL NIGHT SKY WITH REAL STARS.}}"

"Wow dad you weren't kidding earlier. These stars… are WAY better than the ones in the underground. There are so many of them!" Sans moves his eyes around a lot to see as much as he can. The sky totally surrounds them. Even though it's dark, Gaster is not uncomfortable…

He has been dreaming of this day for such a long time. The day he gets to stand with his children and stare at the sky together. To see their wonder and delight at the blues and purples swirling in front of them. He wonders if modern life on the surface will be kind to him and his boys. Everything is as new to him as it is to Sans and Papyrus.

But he knows that no matter what, anywhere with his boys is the best place on earth.

()

()

()

(I was going to add a bit more, but I wasn't sure how much you guys were willing to read... So I stopped here. I hope you all liked the story! Thank you for being kind to me and giving me more and more reasons to finish this. The amount of lovely words and support I got means a lot to me. I love you all! And so does the Skeleton family! *heart*)


	14. Chapter 13 and a half: Reunions (END)

One day has passed since Gaster and the boys came to the surface and stared up at the stars. Gaster refuses to leave the Underground for more than a few minutes. It's becoming uncomfortable for him... So much has changed and his head hurts. And so Gaster will only go as far as Asgore's throne room before he begins to act strangely. Sans and Papyrus can't put their fingers on exactly what he's feeling, but they know enough that they won't force their father to do anything he doesn't want to. This all worries Papyrus though. He went and looked at the stars with them after all! So why is he getting nervous NOW?... The only reason they stopped looking at the stars is because Gaster suddenly had a wave of anxiety hit him. The darkness freaked him out pretty bad and he retreated to the underground so fast the boys wondered where he'd gone for a few moments. They found him in the last corridor covering his ears…

Today in Snowdin outside of their home, Papyrus was ready to ask if there was ANYONE that Gaster knew that was still here but Sans quickly intervened before his brother could mention it to their old man.

"I dunno Pap, I think we should give him a little more time to adjust. He hasn't had light or sound for a long time and… I dunno I guess I worry that he'll get even more bombarded and I'm not sure he's ready for that yet. He still doesn't feel well I think." Sans fiddles with his hands in his hoody pockets and looks over at their dad through the front window.

Gaster is slouching in the corner of the living room next to the table. He stares off into the distance not looking at anything in particular and he appears to be curling in on himself with every passing minute.

"Everything is still sinking in. And I… I think that part of him thinks that this is all a dream, or one of his 'scenes' you know?" Sans looks up at his brother and Papyrus folds his arms in thought. He nods.

"YES… I WISH THERE WERE SOME WAY WE COULD CONVINCE HIM. I WISH I UNDERSTOOD HOW HE FELT SO I COULD HELP! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, I SHOULD BE ABLE TO HELP MY OWN FATHER!" Papyrus says with increasing exasperation and worry. The father he remembers was getting older towards the fall, but he still had a pep in his step and a cheerful tone when talking to them. Now he's a mess… He's being completely overwhelmed by everything and he's scared. Unsure of himself. Jumpy. The switch from their father to this glob of goop was so quick. Just 24 hours since his return.

Sans nods. He wants to help too…

"I WONDER BROTHER, PERHAPS IF WE SHOWED HIM PICTURES? OR MAYBE WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING WE USED TO DO TOGETHER!" Pap flings a finger in the air with a sudden big smile. Sans isn't so confident. He's certain that that would just make Gaster feel bad about his current self. About everything he's missed.

"We gotta be careful bro. We have to think everything out so we don't freak him out." Sans rubs his chin and sighs. How could they go about this? Papyrus watches his brother think and folds his arms again. The two "Hmmm" out loud.

()

Inside, Gaster stares at their green couch and the TV. This… He knows it's real. He knows that this is real and that this is his home and those are his children standing outside talking. But… he can't stop the sinking feeling that the void is toying with his memories and his fantasies of escape. And yet he can feel. He can hear and see more than just darkness now.

To his left is the table with the pet rock on it. Gaster reaches over with his disconnected hand and grabs the rock up and then brings it to his chest. He stares at it and feels the rough earthy texture with his skeletal thumbs. It's still strange to remember what he used to look like. His hands weren't this globby before. There must be some way he can reform himself or something! Maybe magic?

Gaster puts the rock back onto the table and he sits up a little more. With what little magic he has regained, he focuses it all into his body and tries to put his old body back together. But the most he can get is a few extra inches of height. It's exhausting… He tries again and gains a few more inches of his posture. Failure. But he think if he keeps trying he can get it right…

Talking to his sons about how he feels is a good idea. One that he's already done a little bit of. But… Maybe… Hm. Gaster recalls several times where he'd go talk to Asgore. Mostly to help HIM out! But he wonders if this time he should actually reveal himself to his King. Let his presence be known to his old boss… His friend. But won't Asgore be scared of him? Would he see this ugly form and… No, Asgore isn't like that. Maybe it's worth a try.

()

The front door opens and Gaster peeks out. Snow. The bite of the snow is so calming to the old scientist. So familiar and peaceful. Home.

"Oh dad, what's up? You uh… you alright?" Sans asks, a bit startled. He was POSITIVIE that Gaster would sit in that corner all day.

"[[AH YES. I'M… ALRIGHT. I'VE DECIDED THAT I MUST SEE THE KING.]]"

"WOW, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ASGORE? THIS IS A DELIGHTFUL TURN OF EVENTS!" Papyrus shouts happily. He's very pleased to see his dad up and about finally! Worry was setting in… Gaster nods to his son and smiles.

"[[AH… YES. I'M SORRY ABOUT ALL OF THIS, BOYS. I'M STILL ADJUSTING. I'LL DO MY BEST NOT TO WORRY YOU ANYMORE.]]"

Sans shakes his head. "Don't be sorry! We understand, really. But… I know we've said this a bunch already, but if you need anything or… ANYTHING, then we've got your back."

"INDEED! WE KNOW THIINGS ARE DIFFICULT FOR YOU RIGHT NOW… AND WE REALLY WANT TO HELP IN ANY WAY THAT WE ARE ABLE. LUCKILY FOR YOU, ONE OF YOUR SONS IS THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"

Gaster finally lets out a breathy laugh. God he loves his sons. "Missing them" doesn't even cover how he feels. "[[AND THE GREAT PAPYRUS' HELP I SHALL ASK FOR WHEN I NEED IT. WHICH IS NOW. YOU TOO SANS. I AH…]]" The doctor looks off to the side and tries to sort his thoughts. But Sans and Papyrus already know. He doesn't want to be alone. The two nod at each other and start walking. Gaster loves that his boys can read his mind.

()

A nice long quiet walk through the underground settles Gaster down a bit. The brothers are wary and watchful. Well… Sans is anyway. Papyrus is busy marching.

"What exactly are you marchin' for bro?" Sans asks.

"SIMPLE MY BROTHER! I AM ASSISTING IN ESCORTING THE ROYAL SCIENTIST TO HIS DESTINATION. YOU'RE EMBARRASSING ME BY NOT MARCHING AS WELL! I SUPPOSE ONLY ONE OF US IS ROYAL GUARD MATERIAL." Papyrus puts one gloved hand to his chest dramatically.

Sans chuckles and gives a little bit of the ol' razzle dazzle to his step just to appease his bro.

"That's true. But Asgore DID say that the Royal Guard has been disbanded. What are you gonna do now?"

Papyrus puts a hand to his long chin and HMMMM'S loudly. "THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION. MY LIFE LONG DREAM HAS BEEN SHATTERED EVEN MORE THAN THE BARRIER."

"[[THAT JUST GIVES YOU MORE OPPORTUNITIES, PAPYRUS. NOW THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS YOU CAN BE.]]" "If the human world has truly changed anyway" he decides not to add in. Papyrus likes this answer.

"LOTS? WOWWIE I CAN BE ANYTHING I WANT? WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE?"

"[[I COULDN'T TELL YOU. THE VISIONS NEVER SHOWED ME THE SURFACE WORLD SO I HAVE NO CLUE HOW THE HUMANS AND SOCIETY HAS CHANGED. BUT I KNOW THAT NO MATTER WHAT YOU TWO END UP DOING, YOU'LL BE THE BEST AT IT.]]" He smiles at each of his boys and takes their hands. The brothers glow with pride.

Finally at Asgore's castle, they see that the sun is out. High noon. The family stops just inside the mountain's new exit and the brothers look to their father. He seems much less upset than he was at night time.

"Do you uh… think you can come out? It looks pretty bright out. Right? Is that how it works?" Sans has seen the sunset and the stars now. Nothing more. Gaster smiles and nods.

"[[YES. I BELIEVE I CAN GO OUTSIDE. THE SKY IS STILL A BIT FRIGHTENING, BUT IT'S BROAD DAYLIGHT. YOU TWO WILL LIKE IT.]]" Gaster finally stands outside with his sons and they look at the lush green of the trees in regular daylight. The city in the distance shimmers with glass windows and a light warm breeze passes them. Even without skin all of them can tell that the suns light is warm.

"[[SUMMER TIME… I ALWAYS LIKED THIS TIME OF YEAR.]]"

"SUMMER? TIME OF YEAR?" Those are the only words that are really able to form for Papyrus right now. The surface keeps surprising him and he hasn't even gone past the ledge where they all stand now! Gaster takes a deep breath and then sighs it out happily.

"[[I WON'T SPOIL MUCH FOR YOU. EXPERIENCING IT YOURSELF IS THE BEST PART… AH. NOW WHERE WOULD ASGORE HAVE GONE? I'VE AVOIDED HIM FOR A WHOLE DAY… THERE'S NO TELLING WHERE HE IS.]]"

"Hello there?" Comes the deep familiar voice. Sans and Papyrus turn and see their king coming out of a room that was not there yesterday. It's the old kitchen he used to have before he blocked it off with a thin wall. Everyone thinks "What timing!"

"Hey Asgore." Sans says casually. Papyrus gives an overly dramatic bow and then shoots up straight.

"YOUR HIGHNESS! WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU! WHAT AMAZING TIMING YOU HAVE!"

The king smiles at the two—and of course then he spots the black glob not facing him.

"Ah, who is this? I do not believe we have met."

Sans and Papyrus look at each other and then at their dad. He seems nervous. Asgore picks up on the tension easily. "Would you all like a cup of tea?" he says quickly to mask the growing awkwardness. Gaster clears his throat and slowly turns around.

"[[I THINK THAT WOULD BE DELIGHTFUL YOUR HIGHNESS.]]" A small smile creeps onto his poor old cracked face. Asgore's eyes widen a bit, seeming to be remembering something. Sans watches closely. He loves watching the expressions of someone remembering his super cool dad.

"[[I… I KNOW I'M A BIT HARD TO RECOGNIZE… BUT—]]

"Doctor Wingdings Gaster…" Asgore says. It's coming back. It's flooding back! The scientist scolded him many times and helped him many more times. "Oh my. Wingdings! Where… What happened? Where have you been?"

"Uhm, long story." Sans says just loud enough to be heard.

"[[INDEED. BUT IT HARDLY MATTERS NOW. I'M BACK AND I HAVE MISSED YOU. I THOUGHT THAT WE COULD TALK. LIKE WE USED TO.]]"

Asgore stands there still in shock. The pieces aren't falling into place properly. Gaster was there one day and then he wasn't. And he forgot all about the scientist. About his very good friend! What has happened that has deformed his body so? Asgore shakes his head quickly and smiles widely.

"I shall make more tea! We'll drink outside today if that's alright!" Asgore puts the tea on quickly and then rushes to Gaster, swooping him up in a big hug. The doc's gotten used to the pain by now. (Papyrus hugs VERY tightly.)

"I am not sure what's happened, but I am overjoyed that you've returned!" Gaster hugs back and gives him a pat on the back. Asgore sets him down and looks him over. "I cannot lie to you, I forgot… I forgot you. And I don't understand why. But many memories are coming back to me all at once."

"[[YES THAT IS A… A SIDE EFFECT OF ME DISAPPEARING. I'LL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING LATER.]]" Several minutes of small talk go bye and the tea is handed out and consumed. Delicious golden flower tea as always. They don't even make it outside.

"Papyrus!" An angry woman calls. The group looks over at the silhouette of Undyne standing at the exit of the underground. Woops. Papyrus didn't call her.

"Where the HELL have you been? You never called me and you never answered MY calls! You worried me you idiot!" She screams and stomps back down. Undyne surveys the room. Papyrus looking doofy and apologetic, Sans being watchful for WHATEVER, Asgore standing behind a black glob. The glob turns and faces her though…. She squints… and then quickly looks at Sans. He smirks at her. It's all coming back and the same look in her eye is forming.

"Hey….. Hey! HEY! YOU!" She points at Gaster. Papyrus steps back a few steps, shocked. Undyne and his father know each other?

"[[A-AH HELLO UNDYNE. YOU GREW UP TO BE A FINE YOUNG WOMAN. I HAD A FEELING YOU'D BE GREAT-]]" Undyne rushes over and hugs him tightly. Even tighter than Papyrus and Asgore put together. It is QUITE painful. She hoists him up and gives him two shakes to either side before putting him down.

"DOC! Doc I can't believe it! I get it now! I get all the feelings that I had before! I dunno where you went, but I could feel that deep in my soul there was someone I had to thank for something and now I know that it was you! Thank you so much for what you did for me!" She says loudly, a big toothy grin on her face.

"[[Y…YOU'RE WELCOME I SUPPOSE. I'M GLAD THAT THE LITTLE I WAS ABLE TO DO HELPED YOU.]]"

"Not just me! It helped the whole underground! I don't mean to brag but-… Wait YES I DO! Without me being super awesome and strong, the Underground just wouldn't be the same! And you helped me get there!"

Asgore and Papyrus stand slightly confused. Pap leans in and whispers to Sans.

"BROTHER, I GATHER THAT THESE TWO KNOW EACH OTHER, BUT I'M NOT SURE WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. I DON'T REMEMBER UNDYNE FROM OUR CHILDHOOD AT ALL. I DON'T REMEMBER DAD HAVING ANYTHING TO DO WITH HER!" Sans leans in and whispers back.

"Another long story that he should tell ya, not me." He shrugs at his taller brother and Pap just accepts it. No matter what it is, this is great! This is now the fourth reunion their father has had and he deserves so many more.

"[[YOU WORKED VERY HARD ALONE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW. I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU AS WELL. FOR TEACHING PAPYRUS MANY THINGS AND FOR BEFRIENDING HIM. IT REALLY DOES MEAN A LOT TO ME.]]" Gaster smiles at Undyne and gives a small bow. Undyne just flicks her wrist with a "PSH".

"Of course! This guy is a giant goofball and I still can't believe these two are your sons, but gosh dangit if they're not some of my best friends! You should know that Papyrus is a very hard and determined worker! Sans on the other hand…" She says partly joking and partly not. Sans just shrugs. He knows.

"FATHER, HOW EXACTLY DO YOU KNOW UNDYNE?" Papyrus finally asks. Gaster's expression falls a tiny bit and Sans elbows his brother.

"Ah!" Asgore says suddenly. "I recall Undyne telling me that someone was giving her special training before she came to spar with me! That was YOU Wingdings?" The poor fluffy king is oblivious. Gaster decides that he should just spill the beans. He's not working for the royal family anymore so there's no fear of being fired! Not that it matters at this point.

"[[CLOSE ENOUGH. I MET UNDYNE IN WATERFALL. SHE'D HEARD ABOUT THE INCIDENT WITH SANS AND THE GREEN SOUL HUMAN.]]"

"Dad." Sans says. Gaster looks over at him. Did Sans know?... Of course he did, the smart bonehead. Gaster should have known better. He nods to Sans to signal that this is okay.

"[[SHE ASKED ME TO HELP HER, HOPING THAT SHE COULD GET THE SAME RESULTS AS SANS. KEEPING HER HP AT A CERTAIN NUMBER. SO I DID SOME TESTING ON HER. I USED THE RED LIQUID TO INJECT HER TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN.]]"

Asgore's eyes grow wide and so do Papyrus'. Undyne stands there shocked. She remembers before that Gaster said if anything happened to her he'd pretend she never existed and that they never met. But here the doctor is, completely taking the wrap for her!

"Undyne is this true?" Asgore says a bit quieter. Undyne knows she must confirm!

"It sure is! When Sans and I were in school together that human attacked him and there were rumors from some kids that Sans' HP was stuck at one. And that Gaster had done something. And I was so angry at that kid for hurting one of my schoolmates that I wanted in on whatever saved Sans' life. I thought that if I could raise my HP and keep it at the number it was that I would never die and I could protect everyone! So I bumped into Gaster and told him to use me. He insisted for a while that he wouldn't do it because he knew he'd get in trouble. But I stood there for an entire half an hour and pretty much begged him until he said yes." Undyne stands tall and nods affirmatively.

Sans watches this whole thing unfold with wary eyes. He knows where everyone is coming from but he just doesn't want any more stress piled onto his dad. And onto Papyrus for that matter. But with a quick look at his brother, Sans sees that Papyrus is amazed in the good way.

"I see… I'm not really sure what to make of all of this…. That makes two."

"TWO?" Papyrus asks.

"Two scientists that have performed monster experimentation with that liquid. And the two of you didn't even know each other. Right?"

"[[AH DOCTOR ALPHYS. I DID NOT KNOW HER.]]"

"I believe we should keep this a secret from Toriel…" Asgore says solemnly. Papyrus looks at Sans and then his dad with slight worry. Would the queen be angry at his father?

"WHY? SECRETS ARE BAD!" The skeleton says.

"Well she did already fire Alphys for the experiments SHE conducted…" Gaster finally lets out a laugh. But it's not a joyful laugh. It's bitter.

"[[RIDICULOUS.]]" The doctor says, enunciating every syllable. Sans finally releases a grin. He knows THIS side of his dad. That is for DAMN sure. And he can't wait to see it again. Wait. Crap, Gaster can't stand Toriel.

"[[I SHOULD LIKE TO FIND ALPHYS AND SPEAK TO HER. WE HAVE MUCH IN COMMON. AND I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT I CAN SET SOME OF HER WORRIES AT EASE.]]"

"She's up top. Waiting for me actually, she's gonna start worrying where I am…" Undyne says. Gaster nods decisively. "[[THEN WE SHAN'T KEEP HER WAITING ANY LONGER. ASGORE, WHERE IS TORIEL CURRENTLY?]]" He asks. Asgore shakes his head.

"I am not exactly sure. But I'm at least a little sure that she is outside talking to the humans with Frisk. Ah, have you met Frisk, Gaster?"

"[[I HAVE. PART OF THE LONG STORY.]]"

"Goodness! I see. There is still so much that I must learn. Uhm… I suppose I'll let you all go? And I will be seeing you later, Wingdings? For our catching up talk?"

Gaster nods. The group walk off and leave Asgore behind to clean up all the tea cups and such.

()

Outside, the trees sway and relax with the breeze. Papyrus is still amazed at everything. Grass, flowers and weeds, bugs, Undyne and his father working together, DIFFERENT TREES? SUNLIGHT? It's all so much for him to take in. Sans can't stop himself from looking around too. He get distracted with his brother at some animals in the trees. Birds they've never seen before and a squirrel. There are a few fruit trees that lead the brothers away, leaving Undyne and Gaster.

"You got a beef with the queen, Doc?"

"[[THAT'S ONE WAY TO PUT IT. FIRING ALPHYS FOR DOING HER JOB ANGERS ME GREATLY. HOW LIKE TORIEL. ABANDON HER HUSBAND AND THE ENTIRE KINGDOM WHEN THEY ALL NEEDED HER THE MOST AND LEFT EVERY RESPONSIBILITY TO AN EQUALLY DISTRAUGHT FATHER. SHE HAS THE GUAL! THE AUDACITY TO COME BACK AND PRETEND THAT SHE STILL HAS AUTHORITY OVER ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THIS KINGDOM! NOT ONLY THAT BUT SHE LET THOSE HUMAN CHILDREN IN! A FEW OF WHICH WERE BAD! ONE OF THEM, OH I DON'T KNOW, NEARLY MURDERING MY SON? THE NERVE OF THAT WOMAN, HONESTLY! SHE WILL BE HEARING FROM ME AND THAT IS A CERTAINTY!]]"

Undyne snerks a few times in that spiel of Gaster's. It's been years but she remembers that this is the type of guy Gaster was. Curt and irritated. Articulate. Firm in his beliefs. Just like her.

Gaster looks up at her. "[[WHAT?]]" He says flatly.

"Hehe. Nothin' nothin'. It's just nice to have you back is all. I don't have a comment on any of that really but at least you know what you want! Hearing you put it all that way gives more context on why you hated Toriel. Which I didn't know until five minutes ago but yeah. I get it. You're passionate and I LIKE IT!" Undyne hasn't said much on Toriel, but inside she feels the same way a little. She feels like she was the only one that gave Asgore the time of day. She looked up to her king and respected him greatly. Toriel ran away like a coward… So she understands where Gaster is coming from.

"[[I SHOULD THINK SO. ANY SMART MONSTER WOULD GET IT.]]"

"Oh, there's Alphys up there. Look at that nerd, watching her cartoons."

"[[DON'T LIE, I KNOW YOU LOVE WATCHING MEW MEW KISSY CUTIE WITH HER.]]" Undyne gasps and stops dead in her tracks. Gaster just smirks at her as well as he's able to with his cracked face. The fish girl just folds her arms and looks away.

"That's not creepy at all… Hey Alphys! I have someone for you to meet!" Undyne yells. Just twenty feet away is Alphys, sitting on a pink and white polka dotted blanket which covers a perfect patch of grass with sunlight filtering through. The yellow lizard scientist looks up from her phone at the approaching monsters. Undyne and… someone she's never met.

"O-Oh! H-h-uh-heeeeyy! I'm uh… I'm Alphys."

"[[DOCTOR. DOCTOR ALPHYS.]]" Gaster corrects. Alphys looks down a little and rubs one of her arms.

"H-heh. Not anymore. But I appreciate the sentiment. And who are y-you?"

Gaster and Undyne finally make it all the way up to the blanket and the blue scaled girl plops down on it and crosses her legs. Gaster of course chooses to stand. Alphys quickly gets up and straightens out her extremely old black tank top. It's got holes in the shoulders it's so old.

"[[I AM THE ONE WHO MADE THE BLUEPRINTS THAT YOU FOLLOWED. DOCTOR WINGDINGS GASTER. PLEASURE TO MEET YOU.]]"

Alphys gasps. "N-n-no-no way. Y-you were th-the first Royal s-scientist! I… I found—I mean how did you—thank you! A-and also—"

"[[AND ALSO 'CURSE YOU FOR MAKING BLUEPRINTS THAT GOT ME FIRED IN THE END?']]" Gaster finishes for her with a tiny playful smirk. Alphys gulps. She wasn't actually going to say it, but a small small part of her thought it. She shakes her head.

"No! I-I mean yes a little—but no no no! I'm still the one that made the choice to use them instead of finding out some other way…"

"[[THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY. THAT WAS THE ONLY OUTCOME THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. TRUST ME. YOU DID THE RIGHT THING. TO BE HONEST WITH YOU DOTOR ALPHYS, IF I HAD BEEN ABLE TO STAY IN THE UNDERGROUND FOR LONGER, STILL WORKING WITH-… A SIDE PROJECT," Gaster says. He decides that telling Undyne's girlfriend what he did is not appropriate at this time. "[[I WOULD HAVE GONE THE SAME EXACT ROUTE YOU DID… AND I KNOW YOU FEEL BAD ABOUT IT. IT'S A HEAVY BURDEN TO CARRY IN SECRET ISN'T IT?]]"

Alphys stares at Gaster in awe. He may be a glob but he carries himself with confidence. With wisdom beyond her years. Someone who knows what she went through. Who knows how she feels about it all… Alphys was sure someone like this did not exist.

"It… it was. It was lonely. And scary. I felt so alone, never being able to tell anyone what horrible things I was doing… What an awful thing I'd done to the prince's dust!"

"[[YOU ARE A SCIENTIST.]]" Gaster says firmly. "[[YOU WERE ORDERED BY YOUR KING TO FIGURE SOMETHING OUT. AND YOU DID. YOU EXPERIMENTED AND YOU TRIED AND YOU FAILED. THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A SCIENTIST. YOU FAIL AND YOU FAIL AND YOU FAIL UNTIL YOU DO IT RIGHT.]]"

"I… I never GOT it right though." Alphys rubs her arm a little more. She can't help but feel intimidated and star struck at the same time by the original Royal Scientist.

"[[THOSE MONSTERS ARE ALIVE AND WITH THEIR FAMILIES NOW. THAT'S A SUCCESS IN MY BOOK, ALPHYS DEAR.]]" He gives her a small reassuring smile and Alphys finally looks him in the eyes. They ARE alive and with their families… He's right.

Undyne watches the two with a smile. She's glad that Alphys has another giant nerd to talk to about nerdy science things!

"[[I WANTED TO SAY THAT AND ALSO NO MATTER WHAT 'QUEEN' TORIEL SAYS, YOU BEING 86'D DOES NOT STOP YOU FROM BEING A SCIENTIST. YOU CAN WORK FOR ANY SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION AND BE HAILED AS A GENIUS! I KNOW THAT YOU ARE MORE INTELLIGENT THAN ANYONE ELSE COULD EVER KNOW. YOU JUST NEED THE CORRECT OUTLET TO SHOW EVERYONE WHAT A SHINING STAR YOU ARE.]]"

Alphys' whole body turns red slowly, not used to being showered with praise. ESPECIALLY from the MAN WHO LITERALLY HELPED THE UNDERGROUND SURVIVE IN AT LEAST MILD COMFORT. She nearly passes out.

"Th-th-thank you… so much. Y-you really are t-too kind. I… I don't deserve such h-high praise from you. B-but… I…" Alphys struggles to find the confidence… but she grasps it and gives Gaster a determined smile.

"I think when I do something amazing on the surface world… that's when I'll take your compliments."

Gaster nods and smiles at her. "[[VERY GOOD… AH? WHERE DID MY BOYS GO?]]" He looks around and Sans and Papyrus are not near him at all. It's a little scary to be honest. No no, pull yourself together Wingdings.

"Your boys?" Alphys asks with a cocked eyebrow.

"[[YES, SANS AND PAPYRUS. I SEEM TO HAVE LOST THEM.]]"

"Wait they're your sons?"

()

A quick search of the trees from Gaster and he finds his grown adult children chasing around a blue and white butterfly. He decides not to say anything and let them have their fun. As long as he knows where they are…

Ah this brings back memories. Many from a different time and place from when he was a child. It took longer than he'd hoped, but finally they're here…

Gaster notices that he appears to be a few inches taller. Interstiiiinng OH GOD HE'S REFORMING? He lets out a loud gasp and the brothers are alerted to his presence OH GOD THEIR DAD IS BECOMING A SHAPE THAT IS NOT A BLOB. They run over and prepare to do something. They aren't sure what but DAMMIT THEY ARE READY.

"DAD WHAT'S GOING ON?" Papyrus says loudly.

"[[HOLD ON HOLD ON, I THINK I'M ON TO SOMETHING HERE.]]" Like in Snowdin two hours earlier, he focuses his magic and closes his eyes.

[[Legs… Legs. 1, 2, 1, 2. Step step step step. Pants. Shoes. Arms! Ah glorious arms. Button up the cuff on the sleeve. "Jump, I'll catch you in my arms!" Pull the favorite black jacket onto the arms and over the shoulders. Shoulders. Don't drop Papyrus off of your shoulders, he's wiggly. Torso. Button up the shirt and jacket over the torso. Ah, a tight hug around his torso from each son. Neck. Don't forget that last button on the neck. Put on your tie properly. "It's crooked old man." Yes Sans.]]

Behind Gaster's intense thoughts, he can hear the brothers chattering very quietly to each other. No, Focus. You can do it.

Papyrus leans into Sans and whispers loudly into his ear hole. "SANS LOOK, HE'S DOING IT! HE'S PUTTING HIMSELF BACK TOGETHER!"

"It sure looks like it don't it? Oh man look, the goo looks like it's goin' away."

"HIS ARMS!" Papyrus gasps. Sans shushes him and the two watch intently. Finally after about three long minutes, Gaster opens his eyes. He looks down at himself…

"[[AH! I... I HAVE LE-LEGS!]]" He brings his hands in front of him. They're no longer disconnected. They're attached to his wrists. His clothes are back to normal. He's got no shoes though. Those are gone for some reason. His feet and the holes in them are back! Gaster pats his chest. A thudding sound. Ribs. Bones. He used so much of his magic that finally he has his form back…

"[[I HAVE ARMS… CLOTHES… AH!]]" Gaster flails and yanks his jacket off, so tired of seeing black clothes. He thinks he may just wear all white or bright neon colors or something. ANYTHING but black. His cream white turtleneck reflects the sunlight nicely and he can't stop a huge smile. He feels his face and it's mostly back to normal. The cracks are still larger than they were before he fell, but they're not nearly as big as when he was a glob. The only thing that didn't go back to normal was his right eye. It still droops a little, but a bit less than it used to.

Gaster stares at his arms and legs in shock. How can this be real? What triggered his reformation?... He isn't sure, but he's back… He's back! Gaster looks up at his boys and the two have the biggest smiles on their faces he thinks he's ever seen. Even bigger than the first vacation they all had and they returned to their house in Snowdin for the first time in years.

"Dad! Dad you did it! You… You look like your old self again!"

"FATHER I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! THIS IS INCREDIBLE!" The two seem ready to jump out of their figurative skin in excitement. Gaster laughs and throws out his arms. His ARRRRMMSSS.

"[[LET US HAVE A PROPPER HUG BOYS!]]" The brothers are more than happy to accept the embrace. They crash into their father and hug him tightly. As Papyrus guessed earlier, Gaster is taller than the both of them, a few inches above Papyrus.

The feeling of a real hug with his body back is almost more than Gaster can handle. This is love incarnate. The three monster's souls beat in unison and none of them want to let go.

But alas after several perfect minutes, the three separate.

"[[GOODNESS. I WASN'T SURE I WOULD BE ABLE TO RETURN TO NORMAL SO SOON! I TRIED EARLIER WITH… WELL FAILURE. YET HERE I AM ALMOST AS GOOD AS NEW. KEEPING THIS FORM ISN'T USING ANY OF MY MAGIC EITHER. HOW INTERESTING! I MUST TEST THIS.]]"

"How about you DON'T do that and just let it be old man." Sans says with a nervous chuckle. As Papyrus looks at his father nearly exactly as he remembers him, he can see now what Sans meant about him taking after Gaster in looks and height. It makes him so full of pride he feels he may burst.

"[[I SUPPOSE THAT'S A WISE IDEA. I'LL LEAVE IT BE FOR NOW.]]"

"Oh? Who is this?" Comes a woman's voice. Lighter and slightly higher pitched. The three look over. Toriel is coming up a dirt path with Frisk. While Toriel looks confused, Frisk's eyebrows shoot up. He looks much different, but his face gives away exactly who he is. Frisk runs over and stands in front of Gaster excitedly. He looks down at them with mild worry. Toriel walks over looking between Gaster and Frisk a few times. But she assumes that if Frisk is okay with this monster then she is as well.

"Toriel, this is my dad." Sans says with a smile. He knows this is probably not gonna go well AT ALL. And he's not sure that he wants to be present. Luckily Gaster is more confrontational than his sons and he speaks calmly and quietly. Again Sans recognizes this tone. YEP THIS ISN'T GONNA GO WELL.

"[[CHILDREN, WOULD YOU ALL EXCUSE US FOR A MOMENT? I'D LIKE TO TALK TO TORIEL PRIVATELY.]]" He says with a creepy cheerful smile. Sans nods a bunch.

"Yep, we're outtie 5000 BYE." Sans says quickly and grabs Papyrus by the hand. He walks away so dang fast. Frisk is a bit surprised and they stare up at Gaster. He just nods to them and Frisk rushes after the boys. Toriel stares at Gaster confused.

"I'm sorry, have we met before sir?"

"[[NOT REALLY. AND I'D LIKE TO HAVE A FEW WORDS WITH YOU.]]" Even though Gaster is speaking calmly, Toriel can easily sense that Gaster means business. She also happens to notice that Gaster is a BOSS monster…

"Then please, speak freely." Gaster almost says "I don't need your permission" but holds back…

"[[TELL ME, WHY DID YOU FIRE ALPHYS?]]"

"I found out that she had done some very awful things. And I can't let a Royal Scientist do such horrible things."

"[[WHAT EXACTLY MAKES YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITY?]]"

Toriel roots her feet into the ground. This man is obviously upset with her. She must remain calm though.

"I am the Queen of monsters sir." Toriel says, her voice becoming tighter.

"[[YOU GAVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO THE THRONE WHEN YOU RAN AWAY ALL THOSE YEARS AGO. YOU RAN LIKE A COWARD. HID AWAY FROM YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES. LOCKED YOURSELF IN THE RUINS SELFISHLY WHILE YOUR KING SUFFERED ALONE. YOU HUSBAND.]]"

Toriel's eyes get a bit large. "Who ARE you? I do not like this tone you are taking with me…"

"[[I AM WINGDINGS GASTER. ROYAL SCIENTIST. I DID USED TO WORK FOR YOU AND THE KING AFTER ALL. AH, BUT YOU WOULD HAVE KNOWN SUCH AN IMPORTANT THING IF YOU HADN'T ABANDONED YOUR POST.]]" Gaster says. Toriel thinks back. The Royal Scientist, Gaster… Oh. She recalls now that her and Asgore found Gaster after he accidentally blew something up in the dumps of Waterfall. Experimenting. He had no home and two babies. They were all starving. Toriel wasn't sure if she wanted to get involved, but Asgore insisted that perhaps they help. Maybe they needed someone to figure out how the barrier could be broken, and Gaster seemed to know more about science stuff than they did. So she gave in and the two of them hired Gaster.

"I remember now… Asgore and I HELPED YOU. Why on earth are you acting this way?"

"[[YOU COULD HAVE HELPED SO MANY MORE MONSTERS IF YOU HAD STAYED. BUT YOU LEFT. YOU DIDN'T ASK QUESTIONS. YOU ASSUMED SOME TERRIBLE THINGS AND YOU RAN. I UNDERSTOOD THE GRIEF OF LOOSING BOTH OF THE CHILDREN. EVERYONE DID. ASGORE DECLARED WAR. AND THEN GOT COLD FEET. AND THEN OTHER HUMAN SOULS STARTED APPEARING. THE HUMAN SOULS THAT WE NEEDED TO ESCAPE. YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHERE THEY HAD COME FROM SO YOU ASSUMED THAT ASGORE WAS TAKING DRASTIC MEASURES AFTER HE REDECLARED WAR ON THE HUMANS AND WERE TAKING THEIR SOULS.]]"

"I couldn't bear any more children being killed! I couldn't handle Asgore killing defenseless children!"

"[[ASGORE DID NOT KILL A. SINGLE. HUMAN. CHILD.]]" Gaster says through gritted teeth. Toriel stares quietly for a moment.

"What?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WHAT?!' ASGORE NEVER KILLED A SINGLE CHILD! AND YOU WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT IF YOU HAD ASKED! COMMUNICATED! THE CHILDREN THAT CAME IN ALL DIED OF EITHER NATURAL CAUSES OR ACCIDENTS. THE ONLY MONSTER THAT KILLED ANY HUMANS WAS ME.]]" Toriel tightens her jaw and looks down her nose at him.

"Which ones…"

"[[GREEN AND YELLOW. I KILLED THE GREEN ONE BECAUSE /YOU/ LET THEM THROUGH AND THEY KILLED A HANDFUL OF MONSTERS.]]"

"Wh-what? They… They were a bit aggressive but they would never—"

"[[THEY ALMOST KILLED SANS WHEN HE WAS YOUNG.]]"

Toriel's eyes go huge… The green soul child almost killed Sans?...

"[[HAVEN'T YOU WONDERED WHY HE ONLY HAD 1 HP? BECAUSE OF THAT HUMAN YOU ALLOWED THROUGH, MY SON WAS ALMOST MURDERED BEFORE MY EYES.]]" This… Gaster will NEVER let that go. It hurt him and his family too much to ever forgive. He absolutely blames Toriel for letting such a horrible person into their lives. Toriel can't believe it. She let through a child that went on to murder a handful of monsters and nearly her friend from beyond the door?

"[[SO DON'T YOU /DARE/ TELL ME THEY WERE 'DEFENSELESS' CHILDREN. THE YELLOW SOUL CHILD CAME THROUGH WITH A GUN. IF IT WAS LOADED AND THEY HAD ILL INTENSIONS WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE THEN?... NOTHING. BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO BUSY BEING A COWARD. LUCKILY FOR YOU, THE YELLOW SOUL CHILD WAS KIND.]]"

"And you still killed them."

"[[THEY OFFERED THEMSELVES UP. ASGORE COULDN'T DO IT. SO I INSISTED THAT I BE THE ONE TO DO IT. AND I DID. NO ONE ELSE WAS GOING TO MAKE THE NECESSARY SACRIFICES, SO IT FELL UPON ME. BUT HERE YOU ARE STILL IGNORING THE FACT THAT YOU ARE THE ONE WHO LET THEM THROUGH… YOU'RE PRETENDING TO BE A GOOD PERSON BUT I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID.]]" Gaster pauses while Toriel stands there, slowly shrinking. Heard what she said?

"[['If you really wanted to free our kind, you could have gone through the barrier after you got ONE soul, taken six souls from the humans then come back and freed everyone peacefully.' YOU WEREN'T MAD THAT HE WAS SUPPOSEDLY KILLING HUMANS. YOU WERE MAD THAT HE WASN'T KILLING SURFACE HUMANS **_FAST ENOUGH._** DO YOU HONESTLY THINK HE COULD HAVE FREED EVERYONE 'PEACEFULLY' IF HE WENT UP AND STOLE SOULS FROM THE HUMANS? THEY WOULD NOTICE. THERE ARE BILLIONS OF THEM YOU FOOL! WAR WOULD HAVE BEEN WAGED AGAIN! THEY WOULD HAVE EASILY SEALED US IN THE UNDERGROUND A SECOND TIME. BUT NOT BEFORE KILLING WHAT WAS LEFT OF OUR ALREADY PITIFULLY SMALL RACE! IF ASGORE HAD DONE WHAT YOU SUGGESTED, WE ALL WOULD HAVE DIED. AND THEN WHAT? WHAT IF ASGORE WAS KILLED IN THE PROCESS OF TAKING THE HUMAN SOULS? I HONESTLY THINK YOU STILL WOULD HAVE RUN AWAY, LEAVING THE UNDERGROUND LEADERLESS, YOU DAMN COWARD.]]" Gaster is half shouting at this point, his hands balled into fists.

Toriel just stands there silently. She can tell that Gaster has been thinking about this for a long time… His words sting. But she knows that what he says is true…

"[[YOU ARE NO QUEEN. NO QUEEN OF MINE. YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO GIVE ORDERS TO A KINGDOM YOU ABANDONED.]]"

With her head down, Toriel fiddles with her hands in front of her. He's right. She is a coward. She did something terrible to her kingdom… To Asgore.

"You… you are right. I don't-… There is-… What I have done is inexcusable. And I was not aware that Asgore had in fact not killed any children. I _should_ have looked into it more. I should have asked. Talked everything through… I truly owe him an apology. I owe everyone an apology for leaving the way I did."

Gaster wants to say "You're damn right you do." But he decides to let her have her piece.

"And I… must apologize to you and Sans. If… If I had known beforehand that when the child left me they would murder several Monsters including Sans, then I—"

"[[YOU WOULDN'T HAVE DONE ANYTHING. YOU WOULD JUST HOPE FOR THE BEST AND THAT THINGS WOULD CHANGE. BUT THEY WOULDN'T HAVE… TORIEL, YOU DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT ME, BUT I HAVE SEEN… MORE THAN I CAN EXPLAIN. I HAVE SEEN EVERY ROAD. EVERY CHOICE YOU MAKE CREATES A DIFFERENT PATH. AND IN EVERY PATH WITH YOU IN IT, YOU ALWAYS LET THE CHILD GO. EVEN IF YOU KNEW THAT KILLING THE CHILD WOULD PROTECT THE REST OF US YOU STILL WOULDN'T HAVE DONE ANYTHING.]]" Gaster says quietly. The truth of his words are in his eyes…

Toriel's eyes begin to fill with tears. If what he says is true, that means that she'd be indirectly killing residents of her own kingdom because she couldn't make herself kill a human…

"[[I'M ALMOST CERTAIN THAT YOU AND ASGORE WILL NOT RETURN TO THE WAY YOU WERE BEFORE. BUT HE LOVES YOU WITH EVERY FIBER OF HIS BEING. HE LOVES YOU SO MUCH TORIEL. AND BECAUSE OF THAT HE WILL NEVER DEFEND HIMSELF AND TELL YOU THAT YOU ARE WRONG. SO I WILL DO IT FOR HIM. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT WITH HIM AND WITH YOUR KINGDOM, YOU /BOTH/ SHOULD GIVE YOUR MOST HEARTFELT APOLOGIES. SEVERE LACK OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN YOU TWO HAS HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH IMPACT ON OUR SPECIES. SO PLEASE. DON'T MESS UP AGAIN.]]"

Gaster's left eye glows a faint purple... Toriel gulps a little bit. She's a boss monster too, but in battle she would easily fall against Gaster. His stats are off the charts… His HP is 1,515 times hers… His attack and defense is 833 times hers… She has no doubt that if Gaster even flicked her while in battle she would be dusted.

"I understand… The Undergr-… The Monster race deserves a Queen that can help and protect them. I will truly do my best to make up for my wrong doing." Toriel lifts her head a bit, a new resolve beginning to gleam in her eyes. Gaster lowers his magic and nods.

"[[VERY GOOD. I EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM YOU TORIEL… UGH.]]" He puts a hand to his face and sighs. That sounded so pompous and douche-baggy…. But he really doesn't consider her his Queen at all, and to him she's really a lower raking monster anyway.

"[[ANYWAY, ASGORE IS WAITING FOR YOU. SANS AND PAPYRUS SHALL WATCH OVER FRISK.]]"

With some reluctance about the Frisk comment… she leaves, only once looking back at Gaster. He faces away from her now looking up into the trees.

"Mr. Gaster… Have you ever experienced such loss?"

"[[THE WAR TOOK MY WIFE. AND I UNDERSTAND YOUR PAIN AT THE LOSS OF YOUR CHILDREN. A MILLION TIMES OVER…]]" She stares at him and can hear the pain in his voice. Toriel looks back in front of her and stares at the grass. A million times over?... She isn't quite sure what he means, but she can tell he's being truthful. Losing Chara was a terrible blow. But then Asriel in the same day? Both of them at once?... She can't imagine doing that a million times… Toriel shakes her head of the memories.

"I'm sorry… I do hope we can… fix this. Make things right."

"[[WITH A PROPER TALK, I THINK THINGS WILL GO SMOOTHLY.]]" Gaster doesn't face her still. Toriel nods a little. He's right really. The grief of the kids dying completely sent her over the edge. She didn't even think about how Asgore was feeling the same exact way… Not talking to each other seems to have been the biggest mistake of their lives. Toriel walks off to the mountain.

Gaster of course is planning on talking to the human as well. So once he senses that Toriel's magic is near Asgore's magic, he makes his move and walks over to where his sons and Frisk are playing with some bugs. Frisk is showing them and telling them what everything is.

"A mosquito? Wow. Such a tiny little thing can suck blood out of a human? Heh, I'm pretty glad that we don't have skin right about now. Ey Papyrus?"

"INDEED! GOODNESS THE SURFACE HAS SO MANY SCARY BUGS! HOW HAVE THE HUMANS NOT COMPLETELY DIED OUT AS A SPECIES YET?" Papyrus leans in closely to the mosquito that has landed on Sans' finger and squints at it. Frisk just giggles. But they look over and See Gaster watching them all. They look at the brothers and tell them that they're going to talk to Gaster. Sans and Papyrus nod. Of course Sans looks directly into Gaster's eyes, looking for some sort of clue as to what went down exactly. He has an idea since the old man used to whine about Toriel often when Sans was a kid. But naturally his father gives nothing away. Sorta. The fact that he's not all smiles is an indicator that he completely went off on Toriel and absolutely emptied his reservoir of complaints. He feels a little bad for the queen. His father's scolding's are… intense. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. Either way, he continues to mess around with Papyrus and watches him attempt to climb one of the trees.

Frisk runs up to Gaster and stops in front of him with a big smile. Gaster wants to give them a smile back, but he knows the child's secrets… He is incredibly wary.

"[[HELLO FRISK. I'M SURE YOU KNOW MY NAME AND SUCH.]]" They nod.

"[[GOOD, WE CAN ELIMINATE THE FORMALITIES. FRISK… I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE RESET THOUSANDS OF TIMELINES. THOUSANDS OF GLITCHED GAMES, THOUSANDS OF PERFECT HAPPY ENDINGS…]]"

Frisk's eyebrows shoot up and they tense a little. So not only does Sans know, but this one knows too? What a bothersome family!

But they look down and mess with the hem of their sweater. They nod. Gaster is silent for several long seconds… before he crouches down and sits on both of his legs, on his knees.

"[[FRISK… I AM BEGGING YOU. PLEASE DO NOT RESET. YOU MIGHT NOT LISTEN TO ME IN THE END, BUT I HAVE TO AT LEAST TRY TO CONVINCE YOU. I KNOW THAT MANY OF THE TIMES YOU RESET, IT WAS BECAUSE YOU WERE LOOKING FOR A WAY TO SAVE ASRIEL. TO KEEP HIM IN HIS TRUE FORM AND TO BRING HIM BACK TO ASGORE AND TORIEL.]]"

Frisk grits their teeth a little. It's true. They REALLY wanted to save Asriel. They tried everything they could think of. But no matter what, Asriel's fate was to return to being Flowey… Frisk nods again.

"[[IF I TOLD YOU I HAD AT LEAST A PARTIAL SOLUTION TO YOUR WORRIES, WOULD YOU PROMISE NOT TO RESET?]]" Frisk looks up at Gaster with slight confusion. A partial solution?

"[[IF WE UPROOTED FLOWEY FROM THE GROUND AND PUT HIM IN A POT, YOU COULD KEEP HIM CLOSE. KEEP HIM COMPANY. HE'D SEE NEW THINGS ALL THE TIME SO HE WOULD NEVER GET BORED. HE COULD BE WITH ASGORE AND TORIEL AND YOU. IT WON'T BRING ASRIEL THE WAY YOU WANT HIM BACK, BUT I THINK EVEN HE WILL BE HAPPY IN THE END IF YOU TOOK HIM WITH YOU LIKE THAT.]]"

Frisk can't believe their ears! That's… a really weird idea? They never thought of that before. Would such a thing work? Would Flowey even accept such a fate, to be a potted plant?... But… Frisk has to try! It's an idea that they hadn't thought of. They nod quickly to Gaster and smile brightly.

"[[THIS WAY, EVERYONE CAN BE PRESENT FOR THE HAPPY ENDING…]]" He won't say it out loud, but Gaster is doing this for several reasons. He doesn't want to see his boys die anymore. He doesn't want to watch Undyne and Asgore be killed anymore… But more than anything in the world, HE DOES NOT WANT TO BE PUT BACK INTO THE VOID. He knows it's selfish. But the void is hell. No, Hell is better… And he'll do nearly anything to avoid going back.

HE WILL NOT GO BACK.

Frisk can hear it in his voice when he says "EVERYONE". They nod and take one of his hands… This ending seems to be the best one so far. They may not ever get such a good ending ever again… Jeopardizing this amazing ending would be a real shame… If they can get Flowey into a pot then they would never have to reset again. Everyone would be here. Frisk nods, determined to make this work. And the mysterious man from the randomly appearing gray room is here! It's all coming together.

Frisk gives Gaster's hand a solid shake and then rush off back to the mountain. They have a lot of traveling to do, but it'll all be worth it if they can get Asrie-FLOWEY into a pot!

Gaster watches them go and sighs… He hopes that everything gets to stay like this. He walks about 15 feet over to Sans and looks up into the tree where Papyrus is climbing.

"[[MY GOODNESS. HE'S A NATURAL.]]" He says with a smile. Sans looks over at his dad and nods.

"For sure… So uh… did you get everything off of your chest? I haven't seen that scolding look in your eye for years. Even before the fall. At least not with such intensity…" Gaster just chuckles airily to himself and shrugs.

"[[I GOT MY POINT ACROSS… SANS MY BOY, DO YOU THINK THE HUMAN WILL ACTUALLY… LISTEN TO MY REQUEST? TO STOP RESETTING?]]" He looks down at Sans and can see the skepticism in his sockets. Of course he'd be wary. This has happened many times for Sans. It's only natural he'd be unsure.

"I really don't know. Before this, I'd actually lost almost all hope for a happy ending that'll stay. And now I'm just scared. If they reset…." Sans grips Gaster's turtleneck sleeve at the elbow and looks down.

"I don't know if I'll be able to-….." Gaster hums affirmatively and rubs Sans' skull like he used to when his son was upset or feeling sick.

"[[I UNDERSTAND HOW YOU FEEL. I'D REALLY RATHER NOT RETURN TO THE VOID…]]"

"But you know… even if the kid does reset again and you are thrown back into that place… I'll bring you back every single time. Papyrus and I BOTH will…" Sans wraps an arm around his dad's waist as a sort of side hug. Gaster hugs him back and gives a "clack" skeleton kiss to the top of his head.

The two stand in silence for a while until Papyrus comes back down.

"FATHER! SANS! YOU WON'T BELIEVE THE SIGHT FROM ON TOP OF A TREE! IT'S FANTASTIC!.. AH HAVE I STUMBLED ONTO SOMETHING I SHOULDN'T HAVE?" Papyrus says, talking quieter. Gaster just smiles and holds an arm out for him. Papyrus walks close and joins the big hug party.

"[[NOT AT ALL MY BOY. HOWEVER, I DO BELIEVE IT'S TIME TO TELL YOU BOYS SOME VERY IMPORTANT THINGS.]]" They both stare up at him. Sans gasps a little. He knows.

"About mom?" Papyrus gasps loudly at Sans' words and he gets starry eyed. Gaster nods.

"[[YES. IT'S A LONG STORY, BUT YOU BOTH DESERVE TO KNOW. IT'S FINALLY TIME TO TELL YOU BOTH EVERYTHING.]]"

And so, the skeleton family sits down in a sunny patch of grass and Gaster begins the story of how he and their mother met. Sans and Papyrus listen with the most focused faces that Gaster has ever seen on either of them.

There were no more resets.


End file.
